


The Gatekeeper

by PraetorFable



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Camp, F/M, Half-Blood, Heroes, Olympians, PraetorFable, Romance, The Gatekeeper, olympus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2019-06-06 07:05:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 50,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15189419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PraetorFable/pseuds/PraetorFable
Summary: After 5000 years of servitude to Olympus, Perseus is finally released from his oath. Time has taken its toll, however. His tenure as immortal gatekeeper has left the son of Poseidon and Gaea lost and without direction. But there has to be someone who could change that, right? Percy/Piper





	1. Origins

**Ancient Greece - Post First Titan War**

A lone man sat in the middle of a clearing, cradling a small object in his arms. He continued to stare down at it, seemingly oblivious to everything else. The small child was sleeping peacefully not making a sound. A trident lay on the ground by the man’s feet.

The man’s vibrant green eyes glistened with unshed tears. He had no clue what he would do with the small child in his arms. No matter where he went, he would be in danger, although bringing him back to his home would most likely be the safest option.

After a few more minutes the man stood, picking up the trident as he did. He looked down at the child in his arms one more time. “Don’t worry.” He muttered to the small child. “I will protect you. My son. My Perseus.”

* * *

**16 Years Later**

The man’s green eyes shined with happiness as he watched his son spar against his teacher. After bringing him back to Atlantis sixteen years ago and raising him, he had grown into a proper warrior, capable of besting most of the minor gods in a fight.

Although, the smile quickly dropped from his face as he remembered why he was here. He continued to watch as his son tried to force his teacher to surrender. But in the end, the master swiftly disarmed the student and forced him onto his knees, defeating him once again.

“You have improved Perseus.” The teacher started, “But you are too eager. You must have patience or you will rush into the fight and be defeated before you even have a chance to fight.”  Perseus just let out a laugh before nodding his head in acceptance. He moved to pick up his sword when he noticed the man standing in the corner of the room.

“Father!” He shouted before rushing over. The man smiled slightly, “Perseus, I see you are improving.” Perseus nodded and placed his sword against the wall. “Yeah, but I still have a long way to go.”

The man nodded, “Yes, but you will continue your training another time. For now you must come with me.” He said, before summoning his trident to prepare to flash out. Perseus had a confused look on his face, “Too where, father?”

The man stared his son in the eyes for a second, not saying a word. But, eventually he sighed, “To Olympus. You have been discovered by the council, and so Zeus wishes to speak with you.” 

* * *

The man stood in front of the throne room doors. Perseus was standing next to him, fidgeting with nervousness. He glanced over at his son before placing a hand on his shoulder. “Calm yourself. You don’t want to act this way in front of the council.” Perseus nodded slightly before walking towards the doors.

As he did so, the man was thinking about what had happened earlier in the day, when the council had demanded Perseus be brought to Olympus.

_The man was sitting in his throne, idly polishing his trident while the other members of the council fought about pointless things. He was thinking about Perseus and how he should push for him to train more. Just in case anything bad happened. But he was brought out of his thoughts when he heard his name called._

_“Poseidon,” his brother, Zeus, called. He was staring at him angrily, obviously mad about something. “Yes?” He replied, obviously not concerned with whatever was bothering the king of Olympus. Zeus said nothing for a second, but a small smirk formed on his face, causing an ounce of worry to pop into his head._

_“So, when were you going to let us know about your newest son?” Zeus said. Poseidon immediately frowned and sat up in his seat. At Zeus’ statement, the rest of the Olympian gods had gone silent, now fully engrossed in the conversation._

_Poseidon sat glaring at his brother, not intimidated in the slightest. “When I felt like it.” He replied._

_Zeus shook his head, “No, that won’t do. You will bring him to the council immediately, for I would like to meet him. After all, I have heard an interesting rumor about him.” Poseidon’s eyes widened. He could not possibly be talking about his mother, could he?_

_“Yes, I know that you know what I am talking about.” Zeus’ glare got worse. “I want to meet the son of Gaea.”_

Poseidon shook his head slightly, clearing his head of the memories. He couldn’t afford to think of the past, he had to focus on protecting his son. So, he followed his son to the doors before pushing them open.

He walked slightly ahead of his son, growing to his godly height of fifteen feet before taking a seat on his throne, glaring at Zeus, who looked over at him and grunted before looking down at Perseus.

Perseus stood in the middle of the doorway, looking around the throne room in awe. He had seen many beautiful things, but this one definitely topped them all. The glistening marble and gorgeous decor, complimented all of the thrones perfectly.

Shaking his head slightly, he looked at all of the gods around him. He of course knew who each god was, but he started walking towards the throne at the end of the room. He shivered slightly under the intense glare of the king of the gods, but maintained his posture. Finally, he stopped in front of his throne before dropping down onto one knee and bowing his head.

“My lord, Zeus. You have requested that I be brought to Olympus?” Perseus said, still looking at the ground. As he waited for the god to speak, he could almost feel his body start to shake with nervousness.

“Yes.” Zeus finally said, “I wanted to meet my brother’s newest spawn. Although, I have one question for you.” Perseus nodded his head, “What is it, my lord?” Zeus looked over a Poseidon, who had a worried look on his face before sighing slightly. “There have been rumors about your mother. Would you care to tell me who she is?”

Perseus tensed up. He knew who his mother was, and had known since he had turned five years old. Out of all the questions, this is the one question he would have preferred to have never answered, but he knew that he could not deny Zeus.

“Ah” He started, causing Zeus’ eyes to narrow slightly. “My mother? My mother is… G-Gaea.” As he said the goddess’s name, the temperature in the room seemed to drop, causing many of the gods to shift uncomfortably. Zeus frowned slightly as he leaned back in his throne.

“We cannot have a spawn of Gaea roaming around Olympus or anywhere else unsupervised.” He started. Once he finished Poseidon shot up, his armor forming on his body and trident appearing in his hand. “I do not care who his mother is. He is still my son and you will not treat him like this.” Poseidon declaring, raising his trident and pointing it at Zeus.

Zeus just glared at his brother, “Would you sit down and let me finish?” He declared, raising an eyebrow. Poseidon looked slightly shocked, but grudgingly sat down. Perseus looked up at his father with sadness, he had known that something like this would happen the moment he spoke his mother’s name.

“Since you are not only the Earth’s child, but my brother’s as well, I will offer you one deal. You take it or you die.” Zeus warned, looking back down at the young immortal in front of him. Perseus nodded as he waited to hear what his fate would be.

Zeus cleared his throat before continuing, “If you accept, you will become the immortal gatekeeper of Olympus. You will watch the entrance of Olympus, and if any enemy tries to enter, it shall be your duty to stop them.”

Poseidon was shocked, he had never expected to hear this from his brother. He let his armor dissolve into mist, while he rested his trident against his throne. Perseus was surprised as well. He had expected to be killed as soon as he mentioned his mother’s name, not to be given an official task.

“This way the council can keep an eye on you.” Zeus continued, “This is your way to prove your loyalty to Olympus.” Perseus nodded, “I accept.” Zeus nodded before looking over at his brother. “Good. You start in seven days. Finish your training and gather your things. You better get used to this job. It will be what you live for, remember that.”

* * *

**Present Day - Post Second Titan War**

It was a stormy day. Rain poured down from the sky as lightning flashed in the distance. The streets of Olympus were practically empty, with only a few beings walking about. But even so, single form could be seen sitting under a small awning next to the entrance of Olympus.

This form was Perseus, the son of Poseidon and Gaea and the immortal guardian of Olympus. He had maintained this position for hundreds of years, guarding the entrance faithfully and without complaint.

He has watched the entrance from the same position since the beginning. When the entrance was located at the top of Mount Olympus in Greece, all the way until now, where it is located on top of the Empire State Building in New York.

But, even though he has done so, he is rarely acknowledged for it. Even back when he had first received the position. In fact, it had been worse when he had first been assigned to the position. The fact that there was a child of Gaea on Olympus turned almost everyone away. The only thing keeping him on Olympus was the fact that he was also the son of Poseidon, and no one wished to get on his bad side.

The Giant War had not helped him either. During that time most people had avoided him like the plague, including most of the Olympians. After all, why would anyone trust a child of the goddess that was fighting against them. Once the war had ended, the people had stopped completely avoiding him, but would never speak to him. At most, he would receive the occasional glare or snide remark.

Lastly, the position he received truly meant nothing to anyone. It was a useless position with a worthless title. In the time he has spent there, he had never had to help defend against a threat. After all, any being that had the power to storm up to Olympus and the attack was met with the full force of the Olympian Council.

And now, the Second Titan War has passed. Perseus had fought well during the war, taking out many of the monsters that fought for the other side. And once Kronos had made it up to Olympus, he had even confronted the Titan Lord himself. He had even put up a decent fight for a few minutes, but to his dismay, he had eventually been swept aside easily, being forced to recover for the rest of the battle.

After the war, he had heard of the two demigods and satyr who had stormed into the throne room to confront Kronos, who then managed to defeat him in the end. And while he had been happy at the news, this brought himself more trouble than anything.

He was ridiculed and spat upon. The people’s dislike eventually grew, until people were actually asking for him to be removed from Olympus. To them, he was worthless, what good was a guardian who cannot even stop a threat from entering Olympus. But not only that, he was defeated in battle and so a demigod had to save the day.

While, Perseus had managed to ignore most of it, the constant harassment did take it’s toll on the man. Why is it that he was ridiculed for being defeated, when he was the first person on Olympus to even try to fight the Titan Lord. He knew that most didn’t like him solely for the fact that he was a child of Gaea, but he had proven his loyalty time and time again.

But, little did he know, that this day would change his life forever.

* * *

Perseus sighed as he stared up at the sky. Rain continued to pour down from the sky, soaking the streets around him. He was seated next to the elevator doors which served as the entrance to Olympus with a small awning above him to protect him from the rain, even though he did not need it.

He loved it when it rained. Being the son of Poseidon it meant that these were the days he was at his strongest. Whenever he came in contact with water, he would feel reenergized within seconds. And there was the added benefit of never getting wet unless he wanted to.

As he sat there, a small beeping sound came from the elevator doors as they opened. He glanced over uncaring as a few immortal beings walked out of the elevator and ran down the street looking for cover to protect them from the rain. He sighed before looking back up at the sky. As he looked up, he reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a small, ballpoint pen. Not even looking down, he lazily started to spin the pen around in the palm of his hand.

He continued doing this for a few minutes before a bright flash to his right interrupted his thoughts. Glancing over, his eyes widened when he saw Hermes, the messenger of the gods. He stood there, tapping away on his smartphone with one hand while holding up an umbrella with the other.

Perseus quickly stood up before getting on one knee and bowing. “Lord Hermes.” He quickly said. He did not move from his spot, deciding to no risk angering the god by moving without his permission. It was a good five minutes before the god even decided to acknowledge the kneeling figure in front of him.

“Your presence is required in the throne room.” He said, still not looking away from his phone. “Be there in ten minutes.” He finished. Without sparing the immortal another glance he flashed away, leaving Perseus temporarily blinded.

Perseus stood up and rubbed his eyes. “I wish they would warn us before doing that.” He grumbled to himself. He bent down and rubbed his knee, removing a small bit of dirt. Then he stood up and started walking away, towards the throne room.

* * *

Perseus stood in front of the gigantic doors which led into the throne room. Rain still poured down around him, but he stayed dry the entire time. During the walk here he had been trying to figure out why he had been summoned here, but he could think of nothing. Since the Titan War, he had resumed his position and had sat by the door every day. Although, he did have the gut feeling that this meeting was not going to be good for him.

Taking another long breath, he started walking. Placing both hands on the doors, he pushed them open before slowly walking inside. The doors automatically shut behind him as he looked around the throne room in awe. He had been in here many times before, but each and every time it seemed like it was his first time walking in here.

The Olympian thrones sat in the shape of a “U”, with Zeus and Hera’s thrones at the end of the room. As he continued walking forwards, with only a few gods even acknowledging his presence. The first was his father, who was sitting in his throne, holding his trident in his right hand. He had nodded towards Perseus with a grim smile, which had done nothing to encourage his son.

The next was Zeus, who was staring down at Perseus with blazing, electric blue eyes. He was twirling his master bolt in his right hand, which would occasionally shoot off sparks in random directions. The last was Hestia, who sat in the middle of the room by the hearth. She held her hands over the fire, occasionally using a small poker to create more flames. As he walked over, she gave him a small but reassuring smile.

Seeing Hestia, Perseus felt some of his nerves disappear, but most remained. He stopped walking once he was standing in front of Zeus’ throne. Without looking up, he knelt down and bowed his head. “Lord Zeus, you summoned me?” He questioned, uneasiness flowing through his body.

Zeus did nothing but stare down at the immortal with an uninterested glance. He glanced over at Poseidon, who was staring at his son with sad eyes. “Yes.” He finally answered. Looking back down at the immortal below him, he sighed. “Stand.”

Perseus slowly stood up before looking up at the king of the gods. Zeus stared down at him with his intense glare, causing Perseus to shiver slightly, but then straighten and stand tall. “We have summoned you here to let you know that you are relieved of your duty.” He said. Perseus’ eyes widened and he took a step back in shock. “My lord? What do you mean?”

Zeus sighed again before dropping his master bolt into his lap and leaning forward slightly. “We have come to the conclusion that you are no longer needed to serve in that position. You are now free to live your life how you wish, as long as you remain loyal to Olympus.”

Perseus stood staring up at the god in disbelief, he could not believe that this way happening. He had served Olympus loyally for hundreds of years in this position and now they were getting rid of him. He looked over at his father who was staring at him with a sad smile on his face. “I-Is this true, father?” He muttered.

Poseidon only nodded slightly, before speaking. “Think of this as a new beginning. We appreciate what you have done for us, but it is not needed any longer.” Perseus took another step back before looking down at the ground. He was being kicked off of Olympus. He continued thinking, his thoughts running rampant. He had no clue where he would go, or what he would do. After all, he had not been down in the mortal world for hundreds of years, so he had no clue what it would look like.

Zeus looked down at the distraught immortal one more time before speaking, “You are dismissed.” Perseus looked up at him for another second before nodding and slowly walking away. Hestia stared at the boy sadly, but did not move. As Perseus reached the doors, he felt a hand grab his shoulder.

Turning around, he saw his father standing there with a grim smile on his face. “I am sorry Perseus. You have done a great thing of these years, but it is no longer needed. Only demigods use the elevator now, and we have the other man at the bottom holding onto the key to Olympus at all times. We no longer need anyone to guard this side of the entrance.”

He saw the disappointment in his father’s eyes. He had accomplished nothing. He was a failure, and he acknowledged it completely. Perseus’ only response was a slow nod before turning around and walking out of the throne room. His thoughts were running rampant. On one hand, he was devastated. He had held this position with honor for centuries. Back when he had first received it he would fight off any monster that had tried to climb the mountain and attack the grand city. But the monsters had not been able to that for hundreds, if not tens of years now.

But on the other hand, he was actually excited. He had always had a small dream to go and explore the mortal world, since he had only been able to for a short time before receiving the position. While guarding the entrance he had only been able to get the occasional glance of the world below by looking over the edge of Olympus. Now he would be able to see it for himself.

Finally, he reached the elevator, and pressed the button that he had seen so many others press before him. After waiting for a few minutes, the doors finally opened with a small beep. He slowly stepped into the elevator before looking at the buttons on the inside. Clicking on the only button that was in the elevator, he watched the doors close in front of him, sealing his fate.

* * *

Perseus was in shock. He had never seen anything like this. It was around dusk when he left the elevator. He was stunned when he finally walked outside. Buildings towered above him, looking like they reach the clouds. Tall poles, with what he could only guess were lanterns were placed all over the place, providing light. He wandered aimlessly, easily getting lost within the first ten minutes of being down in the mortal town.

He watched as people walked around him, tapping little boxes they held that seemed to produce light. He recalled Hermes having one earlier in the day, but he did not know what it was. Also, as he walked, a bunch of what seemed to be some new type of chariot without horses would race by, at speeds he had never seen before.

As he continued to walk, the amount of people that surrounded him got smaller and smaller until it was only him on the road. He eventually found himself watching a squirrel eat out of what seemed to be a metal barrel of trash.

A loud bark then interrupted his thoughts. Turning away from the squirrel he noticed what looked to be a small pup barking at him from across the road. He had not realized it until now, but he realized that the solid gray material on the ground must be some form of new road.

He looked at the puppy one more time before stepping out onto the road. As he was making his way over to the small animal a loud noise startled him. As he turned his head to look, he felt a sharp pain in his side before he heard a large snap. He felt himself get thrown before landing painfully on the ground. As he landed, his head slammed into the pavement, causing him to see stars before he rolled a few times before coming to a stop.

As he laid there groaning in pain, he heard what he thought were footsteps getting closer to him. He continued to stare up at the sky, his vision slowly dimming, when he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder. “H-Hey! Are you okay?”

He tilted his head slightly, and as he felt himself losing consciousness, the last thing he saw, was a pair of beautiful kaleidoscope eyes.


	2. Awakening

Perseus had never been inside Aphrodite’s temple on Olympus before, but the room he found himself in was the kind of place he’d expect the love goddess to live in. It was extravagant, and vast, with purple curtains, purple walls, and even a purple carpet. On the far side of the room was a pane of glass through which Perseus could see a veranda that led to a large empty garden. Dotted around the room were pieces of furniture familiar to Perseus, but here and there were objects that he did not recognize, including a large, flat, black rectangle placed on a table in front of a long, seemingly stretched chair. Directly to his left was what he assumed to be the bedroom door, and on the right, another door leading to who knows where. It was a pleasant place to be, Perseus would admit.

He looked down at the bedspread; purple as well. Whoever lived in the room certainly had a fetish for the colour. Weirdly, being in an actual bed was a new experience, or at least an old one that he had forgotten. Being the Gatekeeper was a twenty-four-hour job, so there was never any time for sleeping. In fact, the last time he had actually slept in a proper bed was nigh on 5,000 years ago, and he found himself relishing the simple comfort provided by the mattress.

Grudgingly, he swung his feet over the side of the bed and pulled the covers off his body. While the prospect of lying in bed was appealing, it was unwise considering he had no idea where he was or what he was doing there.

He stood up, but a wave of pain immediately wracked his body, and he had to steady himself on the bedpost. The memories of what had transpired in the throne room on Olympus came to him in a single bout of nausea that traveled from the base of his skull to the pit of his stomach. He had disappointed his father, disappointed Olympus, and they had relieved him of duty, a duty that was forced onto him by Zeus under pain of death in the first place. He had stepped into the elevator, and pressed the little red button. At the bottom were those huge buildings, the strange chariots without horses, the squirrel, the puppy, the pain, and then…those mesmerizing kaleidoscope eyes…

Perseus shook his head. Those eyes of perfection were surely the delusions of a man on his death throes...except, he wasn’t dead. Instinctively, he looked down at his bare torso. Sure enough, along his left side was a giant bruise extending from his armpit right down to just above his pelvis. It was a sickly mix of blue and yellow in colour, and just below his breast was a slight bulge in his taut skin where a rib had snapped. Whatever it was that hit him had really done a number on his side. Still, nothing some ambrosia couldn’t fix...if he had any. Plan B, then: water. The entire building was surrounded by it. He could feel it flowing in the walls, and under his feet. Some of it felt dirty, unclean, as though it was matted with chunks of dirt. A lot of it was clean though, and he held up his left arm, removing it from his side, immediately feeling the familiar tug in his gut. Then, with a relaxed exhalation, he slowly pulled his arm back towards his torso. Instantly, the walls wailed in a chorus of groaning, and creaking, that resonated around the still, silent room, and most likely the whole building. It was resisting his command. He tugged harder, and in response, the walls started to shake, so much so that a picture fell from the dresser it was happily resting on.

He pulled his arm back further, and with more force in response to the continued defiance. Immediately, a large _thud_ was heard, like that of a hammer striking concrete, coming from the ensuite bathroom. The groaning ceased, and slowly, water trickled out from underneath the door, straight onto Perseus’s wounds. The swelling died down, and the broken rib fused back together, while the bruises receded until the discolouration was non-existent, and his deeply tanned skin was once again the norm. Perseus let his arm drop with a relieved sigh. Retrieving the water to heal himself was by no means hard, but the building and the waters hidden within had put up a fight, something that had never happened to him before. Was he losing touch with his inner-sea?

The sound of low pitched murmurs stopped him from answering that question. With his eyes fixated on the door, he took several steps back from the bed. Who was in the building with him? Monsters? His attacker? His saviour?

_Crunch._

He froze mid-stride, and slowly peered down at the source of the noise, whilst the sounds of talking drew closer. It was the picture frame that had fallen from the dresser. He gave the bedroom door a quick glance before picking it up and examining the photo. It was a close-up of a man in his late twenties kissing a girl of about eight or nine on the cheek in front the sea. Though her eyes were closed, the resemblance was close enough that Perseus could safely assume she was his daughter. He smiled sadly at the photo, wishing he could have had what they shared. Unfortunately, it was 4,984 years too late for that in his life.

He put the picture back on the dresser it had fallen from, and found himself looking at his reflection in the mirror. He did not like what he saw. Gaunt, dull green eyes sat sunken into their sockets on his 16 year old face, whilst light-black hair, that was shockingly starting to grey, matted his head, swept to one side in an extreme manner. The irony was that his debauched appearance was not a result of whatever had injured him. He had looked that way for a very, very long time.

_Thump, thump, thump._

The rhythmic pounding of feet on floor grew closer, and Perseus could now vaguely hear what was being said.

“...don’t care...your lies. The fact is...a car, and worse...a guy over with it. Do...have any idea...much trouble you are in?” a deep, most likely masculine, voice sounded, his voice becoming clearer and clearer the closer they got.

“I told you, the dealer gave it to me! The guy handed me the keys! How could I have stolen it?” the second, more high pitched voice, sounded. The second was most likely a woman, which sort of ruled out the idea that he’d been captured by monsters. Still, one could not be too sure. Monsters were always finding ways of disguising their true forms within the mist.

“I said I didn’t want your lies, Piper. The dealer is deciding whether or not to press charges. You could go to prison!” the man exclaimed, his voice travelling through the wall parallel to Perseus’s figure. _Prison?_ the Gatekeeper thought. _I’ve been taken captive by a couple of mortal lawbreakers?_

They were nearing the door, their footsteps echoing in the hallway. His hand went to his belt for the sword he usually kept close at hand, but he mentally cursed himself when he realized he had left his sword on Olympus. He looked up, searching for something he could defend himself with. His fists would have been enough for regular mortals, but lawbreakers...They could be armed, themselves.

He settled for the tall, thin pot with a peculiar hat on it’s head, that sat on the corner of the dresser. As quietly as he could, he picked it up in both hands, but found it snagged on some sort of white rope. He pulled on it slightly, but it refused to budge. Not wishing to tempt fate, and have it smash to the floor, he put it back on the dresser, and picked up the bright pink rectangle attached to a handle. It was small, and the multitude of bristles on one side seemed pretty pointless in his eyes, but it would have to do. 

“Maybe you’d see me more often if I was in jail…” the woman, meanwhile, muttered, Perseus only able to hear because of his sensitive ears. _A strange statement to make,_ he thought. _Perhaps they are monsters after all…_

He tiptoed back towards to the bed so that he was positioned in front of the bedroom door, his bright pink makeshift weapon raised above his shoulder in what he hoped to be a threatening position.

The repetitive _thud_ of footsteps continued, until they stopped in front of the door. Perseus’s muscles tensed in anticipation of a possible struggle.

“At least you did the right thing in bringing him back here. Perhaps I can convince him not to sue...” the man said, before the doorknob started to turn. In response, Perseus crouched low, ready to pounce on any potential attacker, while his arm pulled the weapon further back, ready to put full force behind the swing.

Silently, the door swung open, revealing the figures from which the voices came from. The man was in his early to mid-thirties, with short black hair, dark eyes, and a layer of stubble on his chin. He wore a trim black suit, minus a tie, and overall, commanded a very respectful demeanor. However, there was no explicit aura of power, or authority. Instead, it was that of protectiveness. The subtle shift of his body towards the girl, most likely his daughter, was enough to tell Perseus he was no threat, and was actually afraid of the half-dressed stranger standing before him.

To his right was the lawbreaker herself, a girl of about 16 years, the same age as the body he had adopted. She was beautiful, he would freely admit. Perhaps even better looking than those who got their pretty faces simply because they were divine. The mortal, because monsters simply didn’t come in the form of 16-year-old, was all natural, with deeply tanned skin that was even deeper than his own, and choppy brown hair that was cut unevenly, and jaggedly. Somehow, she managed to pull it off, though; the messy nature complementing her angular, pointed face very well. Her eyes completed the look, though. They were the same pair that stared down at him while he laid sprawled in the road, directly before he had passed out. Two gates of supreme excellence, that were perhaps even more beautiful now that they had a pretty face to augment. Their colour was indecipherable, changing from blue, to green, to brown, too quickly for anyone to decide for definite.

For the first time since he had become the Guardian to Olympus, he found himself captivated by the looks of another. The last time was nigh on 5,000 years ago, when the love Goddess herself had first serenaded up the hallowed steps of Mount Olympus. Unfortunately, Ares had caught him staring, and the beating that had followed was enough to put him off women for an eternity.

Apparently, the trim man was shocked to see him, for whatever reason. After staring at Perseus for a few seconds, he coughed awkwardly, and turned to his daughter.

“I thought you hit him with a car,” he said, while the girl simply stared back at Perseus, her head tilted to one side, and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Yeah…I did...His whole left side was bruised before…” she replied, her eyes never leaving his. _So she’s the one who attacked me..._ he thought, his eyes likewise fixated on hers. Normally, anyone who attacked him would feel the end of his blade, but that was sort of out the question, seeing as he didn’t actually have a blade, and the object he currently wielded didn’t seem like an equal substitute. There was another reason for his inability to attack, though. The thought of hurting the girl, and in some ways, the man in front of him, left a sour taste in his mouth, it made him feel...disgusted at the thought.

The man seemed to be inspecting him for signs of injury, but the water had made sure there was no trace of the attack left, which Perseus realized was a problem if the two people in front of him were mortals as he thought them to be.

“Maybe it was a trick of the light...This _is_ the guy you ran over, right?” the man said slowly, once against turning to his daughter.

The girl negated to respond in words, instead opting to roll her eyes, before taking a tentative step towards Perseus. “Hey...I’m sorry about running you over...You just ran out of nowhere...I had no time to...Sorry...” she rambled, before her tanned cheeks reddened, and those ever-shifting eyes looked down in embarrassment.

“You attacked me,” he stated, his voice not expressing any emotion, though inside, he was incredulous as to how such a harmless looking being, a teenage mortal girl no less, could do such damage to an immortal body.

Her head jerked upwards, and their eyes once again met. The look on her face had morphed from that of embarrassment into one of desperation. “No! No... Well, yes...but I swear it was an accident!”

“An accident,” he repeated aloud.

“Of course! I would never purposefully run someone over!” She exclaimed, and for a while, no one spoke. The girl seemed content to look anywhere but his face, while Perseus stared intently at her, trying to decide if she was telling the truth. The thing that puzzled him, amongst other things, was how she referred to the incident. What did it mean to ‘run someone over’? The injuries he had awoken to didn’t seem like the wounds of a man who had been ‘run over’. If she had worn boots made out lead, perhaps then the injuries would have been explained, but somehow, Perseus didn’t think that was the answer. Besides which, she was at least 3 or 4 inches shorter than he was, and her light frame surely couldn’t have produced the force that actually knocked him over.

Perhaps, then, she was lying? No. She wasn’t. The look of guilt and shame plastered on her face was enough to convince him of that. Those that set out to hurt someone usually didn’t apologise sincerely afterwards.

He lowered his bright pink weapon, suddenly realizing that he might have looked slightly ridiculous, and not in the least bit imposing as he usually was.

“Okay,” he nodded. “Who are you?”

For a second, both mortals stood rooted to the spot, shocked that he would brush aside an incident that, in their eyes, could have killed him on a worse day.

The girl’s mouth quivered, as if trying to form words, but failing. The man, who had stayed silent for the majority of their conversation, shook himself out of his shocked trance, took a step forward towards Perseus, and held out his hand invitingly.

“My name is Tristan McLean, and this,” he said, using his free arm to point to the girl, “is my daughter, Piper...Perhaps you’ve heard of me? The Naked Cat of Paris? Quantum of Solace? The King of Sparta? Ring any bells?”

Perseus narrowed his eyes and inspected the man more closely. He was handsome, that was for sure, though his eyes held a great sadness, like he carried a great deal of heartache on his shoulders. One thing was for sure, though; he certainly wasn’t the King of Sparta. No bulging biceps, and the absence of a commanding aura were the telling signs.

“You don’t look much like the King of Sparta,” he stated, voicing his skepticism.

Tristan looked confused for a second, and his arm fell limply to his side, while the corners of Piper’s lips twitched, as if suppressing a smile.

“Oh, well, you know, makeup and special effects play a big part in modern film making,” the supposed King of Sparta said.

Perseus recognized the word ‘makeup’. Makeup was what Aphrodite wore on her face when trying to seduce other immortals on Olympus, but ‘special effects’, and ‘film making’? According to Ares, the only thing Spartan men did to their bodies was tie their hair into braids before combat. Coincidentally, the only things Perseus knew about Spartans came from Ares’ big mouth. He seemed awfully obsessed with his mortal followers, always telling him about how they would ‘fight naked’, and that the ‘only way to fight a war was with no clothes on’. 

“Spartan kings didn’t wear makeup,” he finally settled on saying, deciding against asking what ‘special effects’ and ‘film making’ were.

“Well we had to stretch historical accuracy into the realms of what is possible to do on the big screen. You understand, right?”

“No,” he affirmed. He had absolutely no idea what Tristan was talking about. ‘Historical accuracy’? What did that mean? History is history.

The man looked bewildered for a moment, but he quickly recovered, expertly changing the subject.

”Oh...Well, never mind...Now, you know our names, but we don’t know yours,” he said.

There was no harm in telling them his name. They would probably forget it when he inevitably moved on, anyway.

“My name is Perseus.”

“Just Perseus?”

“Just Perseus,” he confirmed.

“Okay then Perseus, I must insist you stay for dinner. It’s the least we can do after…” Tristan offered, his voice trailing off at the end, probably reluctant to explicitly talk about the ‘incident’.

Dinner in a mortal household? Why not? He was curious about the mortal world, and what better way to quench that first, than to sit down and have dinner like all mortals did?

“Alright,” he nodded.

Tristan gave him a small smile, before he turned and walked of the room, Perseus and Piper in tow. Abruptly, he stopped, and turned, pointing to Perseus’s bare chest.

“Piper, find Perseus something to wear. Can’t have him sitting at the dinner table bare chested now, can we?” 

Piper looked at him for a second, before her cheeks flushed a deep red, barely noticeable on her dark skin, and she averted her gaze back to his eyes.

“Come on, big guy,” she said, grabbing his hand and dragging him away.

**Ligné**

Dinner introduced Perseus to several new experiences, chief among which being the sensation of actually eating food that wasn’t ambrosia. He found himself enjoying the food, the homemade ‘Pasta Bake’ as Tristan called it. Of course, it wasn’t nearly as tasteful as ambrosia, but the fact that it was genuine, that it was made using mortal fingers and workmanship, made it a thousand times better than the food of the Gods. The sensation of actually sitting at a dinner table with other people was pleasant too, even if he was wearing the overly restrictive clothing Piper had given him. Who knew pants could be so tight?

The second sensation that had been unlocked during the dinner was something Perseus could neither name, nor relate to. When he had asked why they used miniature tridents and tiny swords to eat their food, Tristan had laughed in his face. Noticing the sincere nature of his question after the fit of laughing had died down, Tristan had asked if he was ‘serious’. He nodded innocently, thinking the matter trivial, and not in the least indicative of someone who was not versed in human practices.

Tristan swallowed his food slowly, before turning to Piper, who looked equally as dumbfounded.

“Okay...Umm, Piper, show him how to use a knife and fork,” the man ordered awkwardly.

Piper sat rooted to her chair for a few seconds, quizzically gazing at her father as if silently asking him to repeat what he had just said. Tristan avoided her eyes, though, and in daze of disbelief, she stood up, and marched over to where Perseus was at the head of the dining table.

It was when she bent over next to his shoulder, and placed the ‘knife and fork’ in his hands, that the alien sensation made itself known. When her hands brushed his, every fibre of his being lit up, tingling, and buzzing to her touch. When she actually grabbed his hands, and instructed him on the usage of the cutlery, the sensation multiplied itself tenfold. It was pleasant, perhaps, but so foreign to him that he felt a certain uneasiness deep within his chest. Indeed, they were so close to one another that Perseus could smell the strawberry scented soap used in her hair.

Subconsciously, he turned his head to the left slightly, so that the pleasant smell was more prominent, just in time for Piper to let go of his hands, and break him out of the trance he suddenly realized he had been in.

“...Did you get all that?”

He numbly nodded, and muttered a quick ‘thank you’, before looking down at the silverware, all the while berating himself for not listening to a word she said. He felt a lot colder at the loss of contact, and found himself missing Piper’s warm, soft hands in his. Shaking those thoughts from his mind, he tentatively started to eat with the cutlery, but not before sparing a glance towards Piper. Her head was hung low, but he was sure he saw red cheeks under that mop of chocolate-brown hair.

Luckily, Tristan chose that moment to break whatever tension, and awkwardness that was in the air by asking Perseus a few risqué questions.

“So, Perseus,” he said, dropping his knife and fork onto the plate with a resounding c _lang_ ,  “where are you from?” 

Said Gatekeeper slowly chewed, before swallowing hard.

“I am from Anatolia,” he replied. It wasn’t technically a lie. He was from a place _in_ Anatolia, but it had long since ceased to be inhabited by people. In actuality, the remains of his birthplace were probably buried under layer, upon layer of dirt.

“So you’re from Turkey? Got any family over there?” Tristan asked, eyeing Perseus with a glint of something that he couldn’t quite discern. Curiosity maybe, but a lot deeper, and more purposeful.

“Oh...No, most of my family live in the Americas,” he said, which, again, wasn’t a lie. Half of them were living in the skies above a mortal city.

“Ah, you live with your parents then?” the man pressed, asking one of the few things Perseus didn’t want asked.

“I never met my mother, and my father? He...abandoned me, long ago,” he answered, albeit, with some reluctance. There was no trace of bitterness, or anger in his voice, though. His father _had_ pretty much abandoned him on Olympus when he had turned 16, but he understood why. It saddened him, yes, but he felt no ill will towards his father, only wishing he could have made a better something of himself.

“So who do you live with, then?”

“I don’t live with anyone...I have no home anymore,” he explained nonchalantly. He could always live at the demigod camp, but somehow Perseus doubted he would be welcome there, especially if they got whiff of who his mother was.

Piper’s head shot up, and she looked at Perseus for a second, before turning to her father, who likewise stared back. They seemed to come to some silent agreement with their eyes, before turning to the brooding Perseus, who watched them curiously.

“Would you like to stay here a couple of nights, Perseus? We have the room, and if you’re in need...I’d rather not send you back onto the streets, especially after you’ve just had a nasty accident...” the King of Sparta asked. What he was offering took of a few seconds to process on Perseus’s mind, but when it did, he found himself asking questions in his mind. Was it safe? Did he have other options? Was it right? Did he want to?

“I...That is most generous of you...I…” he stuttered. In front of him, Tristan was giving him an encouraging smile, and to his left, Piper was likewise offering a smile, along with a small nod. His skin started to buzz, just looking at the deeply tanned girl. Was it what he wanted? Yes, it so was.

“I... accept...Thank you,” he said, and for the first time in several centuries, he actually smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, make sure to follow me on Twitter @PFWriting or @PraetorFable for updates. Or if you just wanna get in touch. Hope you enjoy!


	3. The Beach

**After Dinner**

Percy watched as the girl quietly left the room, shutting the door behind her. She had brought him to this room, which she called the “Guest Room” and told him that this is where he would be sleeping. When he had walked through the door, he had been amazed by what he had seen. There was a large, king sized bed that was piled to the brim with pillows and blankets. At the end of the bed was a long dresser, with a mirror hanging on the wall across from it. There were small end tables on either side of the bed, with a small lamp on both. And last, there was one large window overlooking the backyard, giving Percy a view of the large swimming pool and yard.

Percy sighed as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He rubbed his head tiredly as he thought about what had happened. After he had accepted their invitation to stay, they had finished their dinner. And once they had finished, Tristan had retreated to his office to attend a meeting with the producers of his next movie.

Percy felt the heat rise to his cheeks as he remembered what happened when Piper had showed him how to use the fork and knife. He still had no clue why, but he had been completely enraptured by the feeling of her hands on his. And he could stare into her eyes forever, as they were always changing to a different color.

But then his thoughts drifted to the events after that. He smiled to himself as he remembered when Tristan had asked him to stay. For the first time since he was born, he had been given a home, even if it was only a temporary one. Before he had been given the role as the Gatekeeper of Olympus, he had lived in Atlantis. But he had never felt that he belonged.

While he had been accepted by his father, the rest of the people despised him because of his mother. Even his step-mother Amphitrite and half-brother Triton despised him. They purposefully made his life terrible since he was a constant reminder of Poseidon’s infidelity.

And once he had moved to Olympus, he had not been given a true home. He spent most of his time guarding the gate, and during the rare times he was not there, he would usually walk through the gardens or just roam through the streets.

So, the feeling that came to him when he was invited to stay was amplified tenfold. This was the first time in a while that he was truly happy. Percy slowly laid back, letting his legs still hang off the side of the bed. He couldn't explain it, but he was actually excited for the following days. He wanted to learn more about the mortal world, and it seemed as if Piper and her father would be the best way to do it.

* * *

**Next Morning**

Piper stared nervously at the guest room door, although she didn’t know why. All she had to do was wake Percy up and ask if he wanted to go with them to the beach, so she had no clue why she was nervous. Was it the fact that she was entering the room of a random guy? Or was it another reason altogether?

As she continued staring, a light blush appeared on her face. All she could remember were the vibrant green eyes that glanced at her after she had helped him at dinner last night.

She slowly raised her right hand as if to knock on the door but froze. She stared at the door for a second longer before shaking her head violently and knocking on the door. She waited a few moments and after getting no response she knocked again. She waited again for a minute and once she received no response, proceeded to open the door and walk inside.

Percy laid sprawled out on the bed, his arms and legs all going in different directions. As she glanced up at his face, she noted how peaceful he looked. Piper chuckled to herself quietly when she noticed a small amount of drool coming out from the corner of his mouth.

She lightly sighed as she walked over to the end table and turned the lamp on. Percy shifted slightly in his sleep, but did nothing more, causing the girl to frown slightly. Moving away from the lamp, she walked around to the other side of the bed. She stood at the edge of the bed for a moment more before leaning forward, so that her head was directly above his.

She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a slight shake. “Percy.” She whispered. “Wake up. We have to go.” The boy muttered something inaudible, but did nothing more. She tried it one more time, but it was as successful as the first time. She shook her head, slightly annoyed before removing her hand from his shoulder. She then proceeded to raise her hand before slapping him across the face.

This had the effect she wanted, as the boy finally woke up. But there was an unintended side effect. When she had slapped the boy, he had shot up, resulting in him slamming his forehead into hers, causing her to lurch back and fall onto her behind. They both moaned in pain as she rubbed her forehead with her hand.

“Ugh.” The boy moaned as he flopped back down, while rubbing his head with both hands in an attempt to relieve some of the pain. His head throbbed and he tried to think of what had happened. He was asleep, before he had felt a something slap him and he had shot up. He tried to think of what he had hit his head on, when his eyes widened. Realizing that someone was in the room he sat up and reached down to his hip with his right hand to pull out his sword.

He was shocked momentarily when he couldn’t feel his sword but then yesterday’s events came crashing back to him. He looked down and noticed Piper sitting on the floor rubbing her head. Her eyes were scrunched up in pain and he immediately grimaced. Seeing her in pain made his stomach churn, although he wasn’t exactly sure why.

He placed his legs over the edge of the bed and rubbed the back of his head. “I’m sorry. Are you alright?” He questioned, causing the girl to freeze. She slowly looked up and stared at him with widened eyes. Percy opened his mouth to say something more before he faltered. He was entrapped in her stunning kaleidoscope eyes. He couldn’t help it. Every time he stared into her eyes he was trapped. He could stare into them for hours on end, and still end up wanting more.

Piper, on the other hand, stared up at the boy in shock. First, she had slapped the boy, causing him to jump up and slam his head into hers. But now he was apologizing for the incident she had caused. Now, she sat, staring up into said boys glistening green eyes. She was completely enraptured by them. It was if they were the sea, constantly swirling and changing.

She stared for a few seconds more, before she couldn’t help it. A small smirk appeared on her face, before it grew into a full blown smile. And within seconds she was laughing so hard her whole body was shaking. She held onto her head with one hand, while the other was on her chest.

Percy stared down at her confused. He had no clue as to why she was laughing. All he had done was apologize right? He continued to stare at the laughing girl, unsure of what to do. Eventually, she managed to look at him through the laughter and when she noticed the confused look on his face, it only made the laughter worse.

Percy, continued to sit there awkwardly, watching the girl laugh. He could help but stare and the bright smile that seemed to light up her entire face. He eyes glowed a bright blue, seeming to reflect her amusement. A light blush appeared on the boys face as he caught himself staring at the girl once again. Shaking his head slightly, he decided to stand up and approach the girl.

Piper opened up one eye when she felt Percy’s presence move closer. She noticed that he was standing right beside her, looking down at him with that adorably confused face. Both of Piper’s eyes shot open and stopped laughing. Adorable? Why had that thought popped into her head?

She watched as he held out his hand. She stared at it for a moment before slowly reaching up and grabbing it. She let out an involuntary yelp as Percy pulled the girl up as if she weighed nothing. Once she was up, she took a step back before looking up at him again.

“Why are you sorry?” She questioned, “I was the one who startled you by slapping you across the face.” Percy stared at her for a few moments more before running a hand through his hair and shrugging. “I was the one who jumped up and caused us to bang our heads together. It was my fault.”

Piper shook her head in slight disbelief before taking a few small steps towards the door. “You see? That’s why I laughed.” She told the man, causing his to stare at her in confusion once more. A small smile grew on the girl’s face, “You apologized to me, even though it wasn’t your fault. I just found that funny.”

Percy opened his mouth to say something before Piper raised her index finger and shushed him. “Now, before you start arguing about how it was your fault, get ready. My dad is letting us go to the beach with him today, which was why I had woken you up.” She watched as the boy nodded, although she could tell that he still had more to say. “Now. I have to go talk with my dad, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Was all she said before scooting out the door and closing it behind her.

Percy stared at the closed door for a few seconds before laying down on the bed again. Half of him was excited to be going back to the sea. After all, he had spent the first sixteen years of his life there, and he had not seen it since. But the other half was upset. It reminded him of his father, who he had failed. It reminded him of how he had not had what so many others besides him have had. A family.

* * *

Percy looked out of the backseat window and stared at the ocean in awe. He was stunned at its beauty. He watched the waves rise until coming to an abrupt stop as they crashed against the rocks at the edge of the beach and was stunned by the sunlight that glistened on the water. Even though he was the son of Poseidon, he had not been able to see the ocean while on Olympus, so this was the first time in centuries he had seen it.

Piper was seated next to him, looking out of the opposite window. As he turned to look at her, he felt a wave of concern wash over him. When she had woken him up this morning, she had seemed so lively and excited, but ever since she had returned from her talk with her father she had been distant, not having said one word to him.

He wasn’t sure why, but he vowed to himself that he would figure out what the problem was and help her deal with it. He glanced at her for a second longer before turning away and looking at Tristan. The older man was currently in the front passenger seat talking to someone through a small device he held up to his ear.

Percy frowned slightly. He had expected to speak to the mortal some more today, but so far they had only said a few words to each other. He seemed to be distracted by whoever he was talking to, which resulted in him pushing everything else away. He didn't recognize the woman driving the car, but Piper had mentioned that she was her father’s assistant.

He wasn’t exactly sure what the relation was between the two yet, but he could clearly sense the obvious distaste Piper held for the older woman. The boy glanced over at the teen beside him one more time before turning his head and looking out of the window again. He decided that he would question Piper when they got to the beach and were alone.

Percy was jolted out of his thoughts when the car came to a sudden stop on the side of the road. He looked over at the others and watched them get out of the car. He then turned back and reached for the handle. He fumbled with the door for a second before he finally managed to get it open and walk out.

Making his way around the car, he couldn’t help but notice the tension between Piper and her father. She wouldn’t even look at her father, while the older man was staring off into the distance, still talking into that device. He then watched as the assistant walked over to Tristan and whisper something in his ear. The man nodded before following the lady to a closed off section of the beach.

His eyes wandered back over to Piper only to see her huff in annoyance. She glared at the ground, almost as if she wanted to burn a hole straight through the pavement. As he continued to stare at her face, he quickly realized that she could look downright terrifying if she chose to be, with her eyebrows furrowed and her lips pressed in a tight line.

This of course, was the moment when Percy knocked over a surfboard that had been leaning on the side of the car. It crashed down by her feet and seemed to knock her out of her thoughts. She glanced up at Percy before bending down and picking up the board. Without looking at him she stood back up and nodded towards the ocean. “Let’s go.” She muttered, starting to walk away.

Percy glanced over at the other one leaning on the car next to him. He tentatively took it, still unsure of what exactly it was, before jogging over to Piper. He watched the girl as they continued to walk side by side. He noticed that he was about a head taller than her, but she wasn’t short by any means. She was currently wearing a white tank top with denim shorts.

The boy couldn’t help but wonder where her bathing suit was. Earlier in the morning, she had brought him a pair of shorts and told him to put them on. When he had questioned why, she had given him a strange look before saying that he would need a bathing suit for the beach. And when he had asked her what a bathing suit was, the even stranger look she gave him, made the previous one almost seem normal. And so, when she had gotten into the car, he had almost questioned where her’s was, but decided against it. He figured that she hadn’t put it on yet, and would do so at the beach.

So you can imagine the disbelief on his face when she dropped the board and started to slide out of her shorts. Percy’s eyes widened as he jumped back in shock. A deep blush appeared on his face as he quickly turned away. “W-What are you doing?” He squeaked out, barely able to form a coherent sentence.

Piper looked at the boy with surprise, she had no clue why he was reacting to her taking off her clothes this way. She stared at the nervous boy for a moment boy before answering. “I’m taking off my clothes of course. I’m not going to go into the water with them on.”

Percy stood still, continuing to stare in the opposite direction. “B-But. Why would you go into the water with nothing on? Don’t you have a bathing suit as well?” He looked down at his own shorts as he asked the second question. He quickly dropped the board that was in his right hand before grabbing onto his suit.

He didn’t feel right doing so, but he figured that if Piper was so willing to do so, he would swim with nothing on as well. He was stopped though, when the girl spoke again. “Of course I have a suit.” She said incredulously. “What did you think I was going to swim naked…” She finished, trailing off at the end. His eyes widened at what she said. He removed his hands from his clothing and looked up at the girl.

Her eyes were wide in disbelief, with her mouth hanging open, making an “O” shape. He now noticed that in her right hand she was holding her top and shorts. His eyes drifted to her body, expecting her to be naked, but was surprised when he found out she still had clothing on. A piece of clothing stretched from her chest down to her legs. He now knew why he hadn’t seen it before, as it had been hidden under her normal clothes.

He raised his finger and pointed at the suit. “I-Is that your bathing suit?” He questioned, already predicting the answer. Piper stared at him, still with disbelief and nodded her head. She tilted her head slightly to the side as the boy seemed to accept that answer and bent over to pick up his board.

She was slightly worried that he had actually suffered some injury from when she had hit him with the car. It was as if he knew nothing about anything that had been invented in the modern era. She had to spend a long time explaining what a bathing suit was, and last night at dinner, she had to spend time showing him how to use a fork and knife.

She knew for a fact that this wasn’t normal. Maybe he had lost some of his memories? “Hey Percy.” She started, watching as he turned his gaze back to her. “Are you sure you're alright? Are you sure that the crash hasn’t injured you at all?” She questioned, noticing the boy’s eyes furrow in confusion.

“No. Not that I know of. Everything seems normal to me.” He replied, his hand moving to touch the side of his body that had been injured yesterday. Although, he couldn’t help but be worried. Was she noticing something off about him? Was she noticing that he knew next to nothing about the modern world? A few more panicked thoughts flew into his head, but he brushed them aside, deciding that he would deal with the thought’s if he ever needed to.

Piper stared at him for a moment longer, but nodded her head reluctantly. She bent over and grabbed her own board before starting to walk towards the water. When she noticed that Percy was still standing in the same spot watching her, she waved a hand. “Come on! What are you doing just standing there?” She yelled out to him, watching as he started taking a few small steps forward.

He stared at the girl for a moment before looking down at the board with a questioning gaze. “But… What are we doing with these?” He asked the girl, not looking away from the object. She looked at him blankly for a moment before sighing and raising a hand to her head. “You’ve never heard of surfing before. Have you?” When she received a shake of his head in return, she sighed once more as she prepared to explain what surfing was.

* * *

Percy watched as Tristan stood up and walked out of the room to talk on his phone again. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Piper glaring holes into his back the entire time. He gulped slightly before turning back to the giant screen in front of him. The three of them had been watching one of Tristan’s movies, The King of Sparta.

Although, when the two had first brought up watching a movie to Percy, he was completely clueless about what that actually was. He remembered their conversation last night about Tristan being the King of Sparta, but he had never been told about the actual film.

He tried to pay attention, but he couldn’t help but watch Piper out of the corner of his eye. She was still glaring at her father with clenched fists. He was only interrupted from watching her when Tristan reentered the room. He quickly grabbed a small rectangular device before pushing a button, which stopped the movie. He placed the device back down before glancing over at Piper with an exasperated look.

“That was Jane.” He started, still looking at Piper, who looked to be even more irritated by the sound of that name. “She had just finished talking to the owner of the car dealership you stole the car from.” Piper’s eyes narrowed, but as she opened her mouth to speak Tristan raised a hand and she stopped herself.

“No matter what happened. Whether you stole the car, or he gave it to you as you say, the owner is still angry.” Percy’s gaze switched back to Piper and he thought he saw a flicker of worry pass over her face, but it was quickly masked by the anger. “The man has decided not to press any charges, thankfully. But, he still demanded some form of punishment as payment.”

Piper’s eyes seemed to widen as he said that. She had thought for sure that he would have demanded some cash for the car, seeing as her father was famous. She relaxed slightly at that, but still couldn’t help but feel nervous at the prospect of a punishment. Her father took a deep breath before speaking. “You will be attending a boarding school in Nevada. A school that is supposed to help other kids who don’t follow the rules.”

Piper’s mouth fell open at that. She couldn’t believe that she was being sent so far away from her home, from her father. The only reason she had stolen the BMW was so that her father would pay some attention to her. But now, she had gotten the opposite and she would be across the country from him.

Her eyes narrowed in anger before she stood up and stormed out of the room. Not sparing either of the two men a glance as she did. When they heard a door slam upstairs, Tristan sighed as he dragged a hand down his face. He muttered to himself quietly as he stared longingly at the hallway she had left from.

“I don’t know what to do anymore.” He whispered to himself, forgetting about the boy sitting next to him. “I have done all I can for her. I didn’t want to stay away, but I didn’t want to have her have to deal with all the troubles of Hollywood. And all the stress it brings.” It was then he looked up and met the concerned eyes of Percy.

“Ah.” He mumbled, “Sorry. I forgot you were here.” Percy nodded his head before looking at his hands. He had many questions he wanted to ask, but knew that this wasn’t the time. But there was one question he needed to know, for his sake. “When is she leaving?” He asked, hoping to not offend the man.

The man shook his head slightly, but answered, “Two days.” Percy’s face fell. He had only two days left to spend time with them. To the people who made him feel like he had a family for the first time ever. Tears sprung to his eyes as he thought about what he would do after.

After a few moments, Tristan sprung up and looked at Percy. “Wait. What will you do when that time comes? I mean, you’re welcome to stay as long as you want, but it may get pretty lonely here.” Percy shook his head in response, he knew that he would not want to stay here alone. It would only remind him of the loneliness he had spent on Olympus.

Tristan seemed to acknowledge what he had meant when he shook his head and continued to stare at the boy thoughtfully. After a few minutes, his eyes widened and he spoke, “I have an idea. But it’s completely up to you on whether you accept or not.” Percy looked confused, but nodded his head anyways.

“What if I were to enroll you in the school with Piper? Then you would attend the school together.” Percy’s eyes widened in shock. Attend school? He hadn’t done so since he had lived in Atlantis as a child, and a modern mortal school was bound to be a million times different than that one. At first, he seemed to be against the idea. But then he thought about Piper. He would be able to spend more time with her. If he said no, than he would most likely never see her again, or at least for a long time. But if he agreed, then he would stay with one of the two people who actually made him feel like he mattered. Who accepted him, even though they had only known each other for a day.

With that final thought, he knew that he had made up his mind. He looked up and stared into the hopeful eyes of Tristan and nodded his head. “I accept.” Tristan sagged in relief and looked at his phone for a second while he typed something in. “Good. Good.” The man muttered to himself as he finished typing.

“I need you to do one more thing for me, Percy.” He started as he turned his head and looked at Percy with seriousness. “I need you to watch Piper for me. Can you make sure that she doesn’t get into any trouble while I’m not there to watch out for her?”

Percy seemed slightly surprised by the request, but nodded his head. He had already made up his mind to go with her, and this gave him a new purpose. His mind wandered to the past events of the immortals on Olympus sneering at him because they thought he was a failure of a gatekeeper. As he remembered all the horrible remarks and taunts, he swore to himself. He swore that he would protect Piper and watch over her for her father. And he would not fail this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on Twitter @PFWriting and/or @PraetorFable for updates!


	4. School Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy and Piper arrive at the Wilderness School. What awaits them there?

 

“I spy with my little eye, something beginning with…’T’.”

“Hmm...tea… Breakfast begins with tea, does it not?” 

Piper looked at the black-haired teen incredulously.

“What…?” she answered slowly.

Perseus raked his hand through his hair, something, Piper noticed, he did when he was either flustered or sheepish. “Well, I heard people like to start their breakfast with tea. Is that not true?”

Again, Piper stared at him. The more they talked, the more she thought he had suffered some sort of brain injury as a result of their little accident. He seemed confused at the outside world. Everything surprised him and everything was literal with him. He was clueless in every sense of the word, with one exception. He was chivalrous, and empathetic to those around him. When Piper had stormed up to her room after being told of her punishment, Perseus had surged after her. She had cried into his shoulder, spilling her guts about all the wrongs in her life, yet he had said nothing, only tracing circles on her back and providing comfort through his mere presence. Perhaps he didn’t say anything because he didn’t know what to say, or maybe he didn’t need to say anything at all. For once though, she had someone to talk to, someone who would listen and nod. To Piper, that was priceless.

“So...am I right?” he said, feeling slightly uncomfortable under her piercing gaze.

She sighed, and rested her head on the window. “Yes Percy...Breakfast starts with tea…”

He smiled brightly, like a child, who had just been given a piece of candy, would. Then, his demeanor changed from that of happiness, into confusion. His head tilted the the side as he gazed deep into her eyes.

“You called me Percy,” he stated.

“Did I? Oh...Well, it’s just a nickname. Easier than saying ‘Perseus’ all the time, right?”

He racked his mind back to his early days as Gatekeeper. Ares was his only frequent visitor, and that was only because Percy was always on hand to fight the war god whenever he pleased. It wasn’t as if he could decline the Olympian. He got bored he realized Percy wouldn’t fight to the best of his ability in fear of incurring his wrath. Looking in Aphrodite’s general direction usually did that, anyway. “A nickname? I gave a cousin of mine a nickname once.”

Piper perked up at the mention of Percy’s family. So far, she had gleamed nothing from him about his past life save a few vague snippets of information that were completely worthless without context. “What was it?” she asked.

“Fat-headed jerk,” Percy replied. He never technically called Ares ‘fat-headed jerk’ but behind his back...

Piper snorted in amusement. In truth, she was expecting something resembling an actual name, not a simple insult.

“Well, do you want me to stop calling you Percy, Percy?”

Perseus mouthed the nickname silently to himself. Percy. Percy. It had a nice ring to it, and perhaps people would stop confusing him for the long dead son of Zeus. “No...I think I like it. Perhaps I should give you a nickname, Pipes.”

Her eyes fell at the mention of the nickname, and Percy mentally slapped himself for being presumptuous.

“I-I’m sorry, Piper… Should I not call you that?”

She looked up with a sad smile. “No, it’s fine, Percy. It’s just...my dad used to call me that...back when we actually talked to one another...back when he wasn’t a world famous actor...”

Percy bit his lip. No one had ever really talked to him for more than five minutes at a time, so personal problems were never exactly a topic of conversation. And yet, he could relate with Piper. Apart from a few minor differences, she was in exactly the same boat as he was.

“I may not know a lot about family, Piper, but I do know your father loves you, he just has a hard time showing it,” he said, the words perhaps directed to himself just as much as they were towards Piper.

Piper scoffed dismissively. “If he really loved me, he would quit his stupid job and actually spend some time with me,” she stormed.

Another truth that could perhaps be applied to his own father, he realized, but Percy knew his father didn’t love him. Not anymore. You don’t spend thousands of years apart and expect things to remain the same.

Tristan loved Piper, though. Percy saw naught but concern in the father’s eyes when they had talked about her. The man was simply at a crossroads. Should he relent and make Piper happy in the short term? They would spend more time together, but would Piper truly be better off at the end of it? Tristan had made his decision by sending Piper away, and Percy suspected Poseidon had made a similar decision. The sea god had chosen to do nothing, in his case. 

“You know, I envy you, Piper,” he said, removing himself from the collapsible chair and sitting next to Piper on the couch-cum-bed.

Her head whipped up to stare at him intensely. “How so?” she sniffed.

Percy shrugged in response. “Me and my father used to be close. Back when I was younger, we would spend every second of the day together, much to the anger of my siblings. Then, something happened and well...let’s just say we haven’t talked for many, many years.”

“So I should just be content with what I have? Is that what you’re saying?” she said, her voice barely a whisper. 

“No, never be ‘just content’ with what you have… That was the mistake I made. Fight for what you want and don’t stop until you get it.”

They were quiet for a few seconds, both of them brooding. Then Piper asked the question that Percy didn’t really know the answer to.

“Why didn’t you?” she asked.

Percy had asked himself the same question a thousand times in his mind, yet he was never able to come to a satisfactory answer. Was it a sense of duty that kept him grounded? A sense of hierarchy in the world? He did what he was told, and at the time, he thought it was the right thing to do, but then again, it’s easy to question your past decisions when you know the end product.

“I was never in a position to...but I should have fought anyway, even if I was certain to lose,” he meekly explained, before staring straight into Piper’s alternating orbs of perfection. “You aren’t certain to lose, Piper. Fight.”

A genuine smile lit up her face, and Percy couldn’t help but smile in response. A happy Piper made a happy Percy. “You know, you sound a lot older than sixteen, Percy,” she teased, and Percy quickly wondered what her reaction would be if she knew the truth.

“Time goes a lot slower when you have no one to talk to,” he shrugged.

Piper pursed her lips, and clapped her hands. “I’m going to the buffet car, do you want anything?”

He was about to ask what the ‘buffet car’ was, but then remembered that Piper already thought he was strange.

“Umm, no thank you, Piper,” he declined, though he really had no idea what he was declining.

The brunette smiled lightly, before leaving the cabin and closing the door behind her. There was a moment of brief silence as the barren wasteland whizzed passed the window. Then a thud, resonating from the en-suite lavatory, sounded, and Perseus jumped from his seat, his hand instinctively reaching for the weapon he usually kept with him.

 _“So this is where you hide yourself, Gatekeeper,”_ a familiar voice said, and Perseus relaxed slightly, though not by much.

The thin plastic door opened, revealing the stark figure of Hermes, caduceus in hand.

“Hello Perseus,” he said with a bright smile, acting as if they were the best of friends.

“Lord Hermes,” he nodded, purely out of respect for the higher-being.

“It took ages to find you. Why are you on a train in the middle of nowhere, and with a mortal, no less?” the god asked. His caduceus morphed into a device similar to what Tristan regularly spoke into, and he started to mindlessly tap incessantly.

“Piper is my friend,” he stated, unhappy at the way he referred to Piper as ‘just a mortal’. Piper was more than just a mortal.

“Well, you’ll have to find someone to sleep with another time. I have orders straight from Zeus himself. Old thunder-pants wants to close off Olympus and recall all the gods. He need you to take over as Director of Camp Half-blood immediately.”

“I have my own bed so sharing with Piper is not required, and...I don’t do that stuff anymore.... Didn’t you hear? I was relieved.”

The god waved Percy away. “Yes, I was at the meeting, but now you have a new job. Director of Camp Half-blood. It’s not hard, or anything.”

Percy didn’t want a new job. He liked being with Piper, and hearing about how Dionysus had turned chronically moody after spending just a few decades at the half-blood camp was more than enough information to make a decision on. “Look, Lord Hermes, I’m deeply honoured, but I already have a job,” he said.

Hermes wrenched his eyes away from the glowing screen, and raised his brow. “Oh, and what would that be?”

“I pledged to protect the Spartan King’s daughter.”

The god stared at him for a for a few seconds before his face lit up in understanding. “Oh! You have a role-playing fetish? Man, I didn’t think you had it in you. I’ll inform Zeus that you’re currently...indisposed, but he won’t be too happy. If you want my advice, stay rooted to the ground for the time being. Something is coming, Perseus. Something...bad,” the sandy-haired god pondered, before blazing into his true form and whisking himself away, leaving Perseus to wonder what on earth a ‘fetish’ was.

Fortunately, Piper chose that moment to reappear, entering their claustrophobic cabin with a bottle of water in her mouth.

“Piper, what is a fetish?” he asked, voicing his confusion.

Her eyes widened, and she choked on the water bottle, some of it leaking down her chin.

“W-what! Where’s this coming from?” she spluttered.

“I heard it from a cousin once. He said I had a role-playing fetish and I wanted to know what it meant,” he said innocently. 

Piper stared at his seal-like face that was tilted to one side expectantly. “Umm...w-well, to put it mildly, a fetish is something that you like a lot...” she stuttered. It was definitely the worst thing he had asked during their short tenure together and she quickly promised herself never to show Percy the internet. The things he would find there...Piper shuddered at the thought of Percy asking how babies were made, and worse...

His eyebrows furrowed for a second. “I like _you_ a lot, Piper. Does that mean I have a fetish for you?” he asked, green eyes glowing.

Luckily, Piper had not taken another swig from the water bottle, because she choked on air once more. “E-Excuse me?” she spluttered, heat rising to her cheeks in embarrassment. Percy’s innocent face stared back, and Piper realized he had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. Still, it was nice to know he ‘liked her a lot’. She calmly collected herself. “You know what, Percy? Never say that word again for as long as you live, alright?”

“Alright.”

* * *

_“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your conductor Alan Smithee_ _speaking. We are now nearing Elko, Nevada. Any passengers alighting here are reminded to ensure they have all their belongings with them before they leave the train. Thank you for riding with Amtrak.”_

“Finally!” Piper breathed, jumping out of her seat and grabbing her belongings. They had spent nigh on seventy hours in a cabin that was barely six foot wide, and even Percy, she noticed, was beginning to feel the strain. He seemed agitated, and was constantly fidgeting in his seat. Perhaps he was human after all. “I don’t think I can stand another second in this box.”

The only reason they had taken the train was because when Tristan had even mentioned the word ‘fly’, Percy had jumped up from his seat and shouted ‘no’ at the top of his voice. Apparently, Percy was afraid of flying which was strange because when Piper had asked why he hated planes, he looked confused and had asked what a plane was. The only saving grace was that Jane had not travelled with them.

Percy looked at her with a lifetime of experience embedded in his eyes, and a look that suggested he was about to say something groundbreaking, something profound that would change the world. However, like the countless times before, the words that exited his mouth were slightly less impressive than he made them out to be. “Box?” he asked, confusion that was becoming the norm lacing his voice.

“The train, Percy. The train is the box,” she sighed, not even bothering to ask why he was so oblivious to metaphors.

“Oh, right.”

The train lurched to a halt and Piper all but ran out of their little cabin. Percy followed closely behind and within seconds they were on the platform, the sun’s glare hitting both of them like a ton of bricks.

Their eyes adjusted to intense light and they saw that the platform, and the surrounding area, was completely devoid of life, save the two thousand ton train standing idle behind them. But that too soon disappeared with a loud rev, and a cloud of dust, leaving the two standing alone on the platform with their luggage in hand.  

“Well, what do we do now? I have no idea where this ‘Wilderness’ school is, or how we get there,” Piper huffed. Behind them was the Humboldt River, and beyond that, the vast Nevada wasteland, with nothing other than tiny communes all the way down to Vegas in the south.

In front of them was a car park, and in the distance, the town of Elko itself, with several multi-storied buildings providing the only evidence the town had evolved past it’s 1860’s self.

“Hmm...Your name is Piper McLean, right?” came the silky voice of Perseus.

“Yeah...why?” she answered slowly, slightly wary of what he was about to say next. Knowing Percy, it was probably something that had gone over his head.

“There is a man standing next to a black box on wheels next to other boxes on wheels, holding a sign saying ‘Miss McLean’. Why would he want to miss McLean? Surely he wants to find you,” he pointed. Sure enough, there was a trim man in an expensive suit holding a white cardboard sign in the car park. Looks like they had a ride.

“Are you sure you didn’t hit your head on the sidewalk?” she said, grabbing her luggage and beginning to advance towards the James Bond wannabe. 

Percy’s free hand went to his head, feeling it for any signs of injury. He certainly looked fine, in terms of both health and appearance. Piper thought he looked good in a plain black tee, and dark blue jeans, despite his constant complaining that they were ‘too small’ for him, or ‘too tight’.

“My head feels fine,” he finally said.

Piper shrugged. “A lot of people say that and then the next second they fall over dead...Come on, the sun is roasting me alive out here.”

She ran off towards the man in the dark suit, and Percy followed suit, but not before offering a silent prayer to Apollo, asking that he refrain from cooking Piper from then onwards.

“Perseus and Piper McLean? Your father asked me to escort you both to the Wilderness School,” the man said, moving to grab their belongings and place them in the trunk.

Percy gave the man a quick once over, before deciding that he was trustworthy, and was indeed there to escort them. Piper nodded, before opening the door and clambering inside the black box on wheels. Percy followed after, and the door closed behind him with a resounding _clunk_.

Within moments, the man in the dark suit had taken his position behind the wheel. His door slammed shut, and there was a brief second of silence before the central locking activated and the car lurched forward. Piper stared towards the foreboding, unnaturally loud sound. It was as if a jail cell had been locked shut with her inside. The only comfort being that she was sharing her cell with Perseus, her only friend in the world. It was going to be a long year...

* * *

The drive through the barren wasteland towards the Wilderness School was done in silence. Percy spent the whole time staring at the seat in front of him, lost in his own little world, while Piper stared out the window, slowly getting more and more depressed as the drive wore on.

And just when Piper thought the flat, arid landscape would never cease, the bland brown gave way to vibrant green. A football field, posts erect, stood adjacent to the road. Then that too gave way to group of tall buildings and a large concrete concourse, all surrounded by a 5 foot tall brick fence with what looked to be barbed wire on the top.  

The black box pulled into the car park, and stopped beside the pathway. The central locking was released, and all three clambered out of the SUV. Piper wrinkled her nose in disgust at the place. It was a prison in all but name. Dull concrete buildings. A barbed wire fence. The food was probably awful too.

The man in the dark suit opened the trunk and placed their bags on the ground. Before Piper could even turn to ask him what they should do now, the car was already driving away, wheel-spin and all, leaving Percy and Piper in the dust.

Piper felt the sudden urge to laugh. The situation was so unfunny, it was funny. She restrained herself, though, and instead glanced at Percy. He was slowly giving the place a 360, his eyes wide and his mouth ajar slightly, as if their present location was the most amazing place he had ever been to. She wouldn’t be surprised if it was. He had, after all, never seen a knife and fork in his life until a couple of days ago. Everything was amazing to him, it seemed, which only supported Piper’s theory that he brain damaged. Failing that, though, Piper had heard of people who had been locked in their rooms for their entire lives. Maybe the same thing had happened to Percy, and he was simply too scarred to remember it.

“I haven’t been to school in ages! This is going to be great!” he exclaimed, jerking Piper out of her day dream.  

“Ages? Summer break is only 10 weeks long, Percy… You did go to school last year, right?” she asked, grabbing her holdall, and Percy, likewise, doing the same.

His eyebrows furrowed, as if trying to remember the answer to her question, simple though it was. “Last year? Nope. I was working all last year...and the year before that,” he finally said, and Piper wasn’t even surprised. He did look like he was about to say more, but apparently, decided against it. His brow lifted, and he went back to looking around at the monotonous school yard with a look of wonder on his face.

Seeing as Percy was obviously either crazy or ill, she decided against pressing him for details. “Right… Well, forgive me for not sharing your sentiment,” she said, eyeing the wall that surrounded the complex and the warnings about the anti-climbing paint that lined it. The only way out, it would seem, was in a body bag or the front gate which had been left wide open. 

“I forgive you,” the black-haired boy promised absentmindedly. 

They began walking in no particular direction. There weren’t many students around to follow, but that might have been because it was a Saturday and school didn’t officially start until Monday. There weren’t many signs either, only the odd ‘Faculty parking only’ or ‘Thieves operating in this area’. Perhaps the principle had thought that ‘exit’ signs would encourage people to leave, though why they had neglected to add a simple ‘Reception this way’ sign, Piper knew not.

When they rounded the corner and they were met with the sight of several industrial waste bins that were overflowing with litter. The smell was overwhelmingly pungent, and Piper couldn’t prevent the cough that escaped her mouth, nor the gag that rose from her throat. She turned to leave, but the firm clasp of Percy’s hand stopped her. She frowned at him quizzically, annoyed that he would deny her a reprieve from the assault on the senses.

He didn’t say anything, instead opting to point at the source of his grave face. She followed his finger and found herself staring at a boy kicking the daylight out of a sack of potatoes, while several others held it down. Their presence was masked by the multitude of bins that were scattered along the edge of the building, and they certainly weren’t vocal about their hatred towards the stem vegetable. The periodic _thump_ as shoes collided with starch was the only sound in the still Nevada air.

Wordlessly, they approached the gang together, the abhorrent smell forgotten. As they drew closer, one of the delinquents parted, creating a gap through which Piper could take a closer look. She gasped, seeing the mop of curly black hair, and realizing it wasn’t a sack at all.

Immediately, Percy sprung into action.

“Hold my carrier-of-many-things, I must stop them,” he said, offering the handle, and then quickly stalking off towards the small group, not even waiting for Piper to reply.

“In English, we call it a ‘bag’...” she muttered to herself, before grabbing Percy’s ‘bag’ and following after him.

Her green-eyed friend paused behind the assailants, and cleared his throat. “Excuse me,” he said, in the most commanding tone he could gather.

The group halted their onslaught for a few seconds, staring up at the newcomer.

“You are excused, pretty boy,” the one who appeared the be the leader said after a few seconds of examining Percy, before going right back to kicking the living the life out of the poor soul curled up on the floor.

Not deterred, the son of Poseidon continued. “I, uh, must ask you to refrain from kicking the kid on the floor. You could get into trouble.”

Again, the gang paused, some staring at Percy in curiosity, and others with hatred burning in their eyes. “Do you think we care, ass-taxi?” the sandy-haired leader scoffed.

Percy looked taken aback at their apparent disregard for authority. “Well, I, uh-”

“Look, how ‘bout you run along with red over there before we start hurting _you_ instead of the elf,” the leader interrupted, sending a pointed look towards Piper, before turning his attention back to the kid on the floor.

Percy looked back Piper, unsure what to do. On Olympus, no one really caused trouble under his watch, whence his torridness in dealing with hostile matters verbally. If someone did want to cause trouble, they were usually met with cold bronze, but obviously that was a no-go when the matter involved mortals. Besides which, Percy didn’t have any bronze to speak of.

His green eyes met her brilliant kaleidoscopic orbs, but he frowned, noticing her sudden change in mood. Her face was beat red in anger, while her fists were clenched tightly. Both of their bags were sprawled on the floor beside her, yet she stood frozen to the stop, her body shaking slightly.

The kid had made a derogatory remark about her skin colour. He had insulted Piper, his best friend. Unacceptable.

With the heat in _his_ face now rising in anger, he turned back to the leader and grabbed his shoulder tightly.

“Hey, now loo-” he began, but the kid’s fist cut through the air before he could react and connected with his cheek. There was a moment's pause, the place absolutely silent. Then, the kid’s fist cut through the air again, and again, and again, each time landing either side of Percy’s cheeks. They were weak, though, and misguided; Percy didn’t even try and stop him. When the kid was done, the place reverted back to its silent, still self. Everyone stared at him to see what he would do next, but Percy didn’t know how to react. He was immortal; was it wrong to hurt a mere mortal? Was it unwise to retaliate, to defend himself?

“Hit him, Percy!” came the cry from Piper from behind him. He turned his head to the side and stared back at her. The formerly clenched fists were now wrapped around her mouth, while her bright eyes were wide in shock. Her distressed look was all the answer he needed, and with an animalistic growl, he turned back to the kid, pulled back on his fist, and punched him square in the face.

The kid’s eyes rolled into the back of his head, though he somehow managed to stay upright for a few seconds, spinning slowly towards his compatriots before crumbling face first into the ground.

The rest of the gang stared wide eyed at their unconscious leader before jumping off their unfortunate victim and scrambling away, not before dragging their fallen comrade away from a vengeful Percy.

Piper’s soft hand on his shoulder jerked him out of his angered daze. Despite the situation, the same feeling that he had experienced during their first dinner together coursed through his veins once more. The more he experienced it, the more he began to enjoy it fervently, which actually worried him a tad. It’s mysterious origin and meaning were still unknown to him; he had no idea what it signified. 

“Is he alright?” the daughter of the Spartan King asked, coming up besides him.

They both stared down at the kid on the floor. He groaned against the pavement, but remained still.

“Am I dead…?” the kid muttered.

“He’s fine,” Piper assured, and nodded to Percy.

The black-haired teen grabbed the kid’s arms and pulled him to his feet as though he weighed nothing. The kid nodded appreciatively, and both Piper and Percy took the opportunity to examine him more closely.

He was scrawny, perhaps an inch or two shorter than Piper, and he commanded the aura of a troublemaker. He constantly shifted from foot to foot, and his impish, tanned face held an unnatural amount of mischievousness.

“Thanks for-woah!” the kid began, before his eyes settled on Piper who raised an eyebrow in response.

He ran his hand through the mop of curly hair that adorned his head, something that Percy did a lot, before fluidly repositioning himself so that he was closer to Piper.

“The name’s Valdez...Leo Valdez, bad-boy supreme. How about you and I get acquainted over a spot of lunch from the cafeteria?” the kid, Leo, said, pretending to tip an imaginary hat that was on top of his head.

Percy watched on, interested to see how Piper would react to Leo’s impromptu advances. She smiled sweetly at the latino. “Sure! How do you take your bolognese; on your head, or on your crotch?”

Leo immediately took a step back, his face falling dramatically, though he didn’t seem perturbed at the rejection at all. “Well, I tried,” he said, turning back to Percy once more.

“Who were the guys beating you up?”

Leo waved Percy away. “Oh that was just Chad Vader and his brainless lackies. I asked his girlfriend out and he totally overreacted. Besides, I had it all under control.”  
“Brainless? How do they function without brains?”

Piper rolled her eyes at the duo’s idiocy. Percy had an excuse for being, well, Percy, but Leo? Perhaps he had been run over by a car as well. “Look Leo, seeing as we just saved you from, err, whatever that was, can you show us where the reception is?” she asked, albeit, reluctantly. Piper wasn’t really one to ask those that had just hit on her for directions, but seeing as though they had no idea where they were, or where they were to go, she made an exception in Leo’s case. 

“I’ll go one better!” the little man piped. “A guided tour around the school! Buckle up ladies, the Super-sized mcshizzle is about to take you on the ride of your life!”

“Great! When do you we meet him?”

It was going to be a long year...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading the story! Make sure to follow me on Twitter @PFWriting and/or @PraetorFable for updates! Thanks once again for reading!


	5. School Time

Percy watched as Piper made her way across the room and back to their table. They had been sitting at the small table in the corner of the “cafeteria” as Piper had called it when she had gone up to get them some food. He had been expecting her to return with something like the dinner he had eaten for the past few nights, so when she returned with this food, he was immensely confused.

He continued to stare at the objects as she placed them down on the table. She had given him what looked to be some type of meat placed in between two pieces of bread. Piper must've noticed his confused stare because she sat down next to him and told him that it was called a sandwich, and it had turkey meat inside. She on the other hand looked to have a circular piece of bread, which she called a bagel.

Leo on the other hand had a small packet of crackers and was currently flinging them up into the air and trying to catch them in his mouth, which he wasn't doing to good with.

“Give it up, Leo.” Piper started, staring pointedly at the growing pile of crackers on the floor. “You're never going to manage to catch one.” Leo slowly turned and looked at Piper. He had a blank expression on his face as he slowly reached into the packet and pulled out another one. A small smirk appeared on his face as he flung it towards the girl, who jumped from the unexpected attack.

It bounced off of her forehead and fell to the floor and she glared at the small boy sitting across from her. Percy on the other hand had a small smile on his face as he watched the two. He may not know many things about the mortal world, but he was able to tell when someone was trying to get another person riled up. He had seen that many times when Ares wanted to fight someone.

“Well, looks like you aren't able to catch one either.” Leo said, with a cheeky grin. Piper continued to glare at the boy for another few seconds before a small, competitive grin appeared on her face. “Alright, Valdez.” She started, holding her hand out towards him. “Give me another.” Leo's grin fell off his face as he handed her another. She took one more glance at the boy across from her before throwing the cracker into the air and catching it in her mouth. She looked at Leo and chewed the cracker slowly, showing him that he was wrong.

Leo scoffed and waved the girl off teasingly. “That was just beginners luck. If you tried it again, you wouldn't be able to do it.” She girl laughed before holding her hand out again and prepared to catch it again.

Percy smiled slightly to himself as he watched the two compete against each other. He hadn't thought about it much, but he was really enjoying his time down in the mortal world. It made him feel alive once again, which he hadn't felt for centuries. He was happy to have been relieved from his duty up on Olympus, but it made him a bit resentful towards the Olympians for keeping him up there for so long, all because of who his parents were. Which was something he had no control over.

* * *

Percy stared around the building in silence as he followed the self-proclaimed “Bad-boy supreme.” It was a large building, with multiple wings leading off of one large main center. As they passed different hallways he would read the signs to try and figure out where they could lead, but they all lead to places he had never heard of, like a dormitory.

He glanced over at the girl walking beside him for a few moments before looking at something else. At first she had continuously asked the small boy to just lead them to the reception, but after about five times of asking, she gave up. Now she chose to just silently listen as the boy rambled on about how they had better food in a real prison, or about how unfair the teachers could be.

They kept on walking for what seemed to be hours to Percy when they finally ended up in a small room. The boy turned and looked at Percy and Piper with a small grin on his face before raising his hand up to his mouth.

“Alright ladies and gentlemen that concludes the first of the three part tour led by yours truly. Now if you look directly in front of you, you will see the small room known as the reception office, which I know some of you have just been _dying_ to see.” As he finished the last part, he turned and winked at Piper before bending over into a low bow.

Piper stared at the boy for another few seconds before rolling her eyes walking into the room. “Come on, Percy.” Was all she said before the door shut behind her. Percy blinked and glanced down at figure in front of him. After a few moments, Leo slowly looked up at the taller boy who was staring down at him. “Basking in my awesomeness are you? Can't say I blame you.” He asked with a cheeky grin.

Percy shook his head slightly before raising his hand up to his mouth like Leo had done mere moments ago. “What's this?”

Leo blinked a few times as he looked up at the boy. Leo wanted to think that he was joking, but the emotionless look on his face and his serious tone made him think otherwise. “Uh, it's a fake microphone.” He stated, watching as the boys eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “Do you not know what a microphone is?”

When Percy shook his head, Leo couldn't help but be confused. A microphone was a common item, was it not? But now looking back on it, it seemed that Percy didn't know about many things. Back when he had fought the other students, he had called his bags his “carriers-of-many-things.” Which was definitely not normal in itself.

Suddenly, a mischievous smile appeared on Leo's face. “Hey Percy, have you ever heard of-” The small boy was interrupted when the door to the reception office flew open and slammed against the wall. Piper stood there with a menacing glare directed towards Leo.

“Don't you dare finish that sentence.” Leo gulped and nodded rapidly, attempting to placate the angry girl. She stormed over and grabbed Percy's hand before pulling him towards the door. “Who knows what goes on in his head.” She muttered to herself as the both disappeared behind the door. Leo sighed before rubbing his head and taking a seat against the wall. He would have to ask Percy when Piper wasn't within listening range.

* * *

Percy stood silently behind Piper as they waited to be called up to the desk. The girl had refused to acknowledge him since they had walked into the room. He was about to say something when he heard the receptionist speak.

“Piper McLean and Percy Jackson, come up to the desk.” Percy watched as Piper got up and started to walk over before turning and looking at him. “What're you waiting for?” Percy blinked and got up and followed her. As they stood at the desk he leaned closer to her and quietly asked, “Who's Jackson?”

She glanced over at him from the paper she was reading in her hands before smiling slightly. “It's the last name we chose for you. You didn't seem to remember yours, so we thought that we would think of one for the time being.” Percy nodded slightly before thinking it over. Percy Jackson, his full name. He had to admit that he liked the sound of it.

He watched as Piper signed some more papers before receiving a couple pieces of paper and two keys. She folded the papers and put them in her bag with the keys. They made their way out of the room to find Leo munching on a small candy bar. “Man, have you guys ever had one of these?” He asked shoving the candy bar in their faces to show them the wrapper. “It's awesome!”

He bit down on the candy bar and held it in between his teeth as he held his bag in one hand and reached down and pulled out two more candy bars. “Hewe.” He mumbled with the candy bar still in his mouth. Piper slowly reached out and grabbed the two bars before handing one to Percy and keeping on for herself.

Percy watched her unwrap the bar and take a bite out of it before following suit himself. The candy bar tasted like something he had eaten on Olympus long ago. Aphrodite had brought the new food to Olympus after she had discovered it in the mortal world. He remembered that she had called it caramel.

The three students sat there for the next five minutes enjoying the candy. Piper would laugh at some silly joke that Leo would make, while Percy would watch in confusion most of the time, until either one of them would stop and explain it to him.

Percy continued to watch as they joked around. Occasionally Leo would reach over and nudge him a bit or Piper would spare him a glance, but he didn't mind either of the action. It made him finally feel as if he finally belonged. He wasn't an outcast here like he had been all his life on Olympus. If he could, he would freeze this time forever, and never let this moment end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Make sure to follow me on Twitter @PraetorFable or @PFWriting for updates on my work or if you want to chat! Thanks again!


	6. Truth?

If Percy hadn’t been looking out of the classroom window, he would have almost certainly have never been sent to his dorm-room as punishment. Apparently, teachers could be as sarcastic and thin-skinned as the children they were teaching, something that puzzled Percy somewhat. In any case, he only wished that Piper had told informed him of sarcasm _before_ he had been let loose in the school.

He was listening, but he wasn’t facing the front as Mr. Speed, quite possibly the most ironically named person in the universe, droned on and on about complex numbers. Percy already knew every detail about complex numbers off the top of his head, though he couldn’t explain why. It was just sort of there, buried in his mind, ready to be called on at the right time. For that very reason, he hated his mathematics class...and his sciences classes, and basically all of the classes that involved world mechanics. He simply knew it all already. History and human geography was a different matter however, and being completely ignorant in those regards did cause some problems. His history teacher had laughed when he had asked who George Washington was.

“Mr. Jackson!” the shrill voice of Mr. Speed sounded, breaking Percy out of his daydream. For such a lethargic, slow man, Mr. Speed sure could shout loudly when he wanted to.

“Complex numbers can be visually represented as vectors on an Argand diagram, Mr. Speed,” Percy replied without hesitation, wrenching his head from the window to gaze at the short, pudgy man up front.  

“And how would you know that, Jackson? You’ve been staring out of that window since the lesson started!” the teacher shouted, growing more and more red faced at his ‘insubordination’, despite Percy giving the unquestionable correct answer to his simple question.

“I already know complex numbers,” the God shrugged, speaking in his typically stoic, unsuspecting voice, while the rest of the class watched on with amused, almost hopeful expressions, fun being one thing completely absent from Wilderness School classrooms.     

“Oh you do, do you? Well how about you take charge of this lesson, since you seem to know more about this than _we_ all do!” the teacher exclaimed, standing aside to invite Percy up to the whiteboard.  

Percy looked around the room for a brief second. Leo and Piper were absent, their test scores not high enough to qualify for the class. Their faces when he had casually mentioned that he had got 100% on his preliminary entry test was a moment to remember, though. Still, he wished he had his two friends with him at that very moment.

“As you wish,” he said, standing up and walking to the front. To his confusion, though, the pudgy man went even redder in the face. 

“What on earth are you doing!” the teacher cried, much to the confusion of Percy, who tilted his head to the side, staring at him questioningly.

“You told me to take charge of the lesson,” Percy shrugged.

In response, Mr. Speed’s nostrils flared and his pot-belly expanded to astronomical proportions. “Are you answering back?” the man barked.

“Um...yes?” was the deity’s intelligent reply to an equally as intelligent question.

“That’s it! Go to the principal's office!”

Percy eyed him for a few seconds, not really understand the situation he was caught in, half of him wondering if the smaller man was joking. Though seeing his flared nostrils, laboured exhalations of air and his finger that was pointing shakily towards the door, put to rest any doubt in his mind. “Very well,” Percy decided, turning on his heel and leaving the room, but not before quickly gathering his equipment.

* * *

On his way along the bland, well-lit maze of corridors, he chanced upon the class that contained both Leo and Piper, no doubt the former causing the teacher all kinds of trouble, and equally as likely, Piper getting caught in the midst of it. It was a shame the duo wasn’t in his mathematics class to keep him on his toes, and to ward off the boredom that grew every time he went into that room.

Their heads whipped towards him as he passed, both of them giving him small smiles and curious looks, no doubt making mental notes to interrogate him later. Pausing by the door, he gave them a wave before continuing onwards towards the Principal's office, who, admittedly, he had already met once before. Leo had somehow managed to wire a dvd player together and rumours of its existence reached the wrong ears. It was confiscated of course but Leo wasn’t fazed. He simply had a new one up and running the next day.

Now Percy had never actually conversed with Hephaestus but he had been in his presence more than once and the aura that Leo gave off was very similar. They were both tinkerers. They had to keep their hands busy, they had to design, create and build, such was their nature. When Percy had brought up Leo’s creative energy with Piper, she had explained that the latino had ADHD, some kind of behaviour disorder, but Percy neither knew what ‘ADHD’ meant, nor was he convinced that what Leo had was a ‘disorder’ of any kind. Even so, there wasn’t anything he could do about it except silently observe and admire Leo’s natural talents.

Miss. Bird was a short, slightly overweight woman with a permanent scowl etched on her face. Her office was immaculate, the chances of finding anything out of place being nil. She was smart too, probably way too smart for the Wilderness School, which Percy could only assume was the reason for her scowl. In many aspects, she was like Athena. Just take her small, dwarf-like outer-shell away and replace it with a beautiful, mediterranean exoskeleton and you had the Goddess of Wisdom herself...minus a couple of IQ points.

Her name was also the subject of many ‘Leo Jokes’, as Percy called them. Completely nonsensical and utterly devoid of any humourous worth...Piper loved them. In fact, her whimsical and songful laugh was probably the only reason he joined in with their comic exchanges.

“So, Mr Jackson, why are you visiting me when you should be in lessons?” the short woman said to him as he walked in, motioning to sit in one of two arm chairs that were barely five inches off the ground.

“Mr. Speed sent me,” Percy replied, shifting slightly, trying to get comfortable - a challenge considering his knees were level with his chest.

Miss. Bird looked at him as if demanding him to continue with his explanation, but Percy felt he had answered the question in full, and so stayed silent. In response to his refusal to talk, the scowl on her face deepened, if that was at all possible. “Don’t play games with me, Mr. Jackson. Why did Mr. Speed send you to my office?”

“Because he told me to come here,” he repeated, though seeing her face turn bright red, and not wanting her to blow up in his face, he hastily added, “but he said something about answering back?”

Percy saw something click on her face, though assuming it was something to do with him ‘answering back’, he had no idea why asking a question was so taboo in school. “Ah, so you answered back to your teacher, hmm?”

The god’s confusion grew, each time the Principal spoke. How could he answer anyone answer any questions thrown at them if it was supposedly against the rules? “He asked me a question, so I answered.”

The dwarf’s face morphed into the beginnings of a sadistic smile. “But you _did_ answer back, correct?”

He technically had, but the Principal was talking about it as if it were the worst crime imaginable. “Yes,” he replied truthfully, and naively.

Her smile widened. “So, you admit it?”

“Um...yes?” Percy replied, once again naively truthful, though at that point, he was beginning to see that Miss. Bird seemed to be distorting the truth or overestimating the malice in Percy’s actions.

She banged her fist on her table in triumph, as if she had pulled off the greatest mind trickery since Obi-Wan-Kenobi found a pair of droids on Tatooine...whatever that was. “Ah-ha! And they say kids are getting smarter these days...hmmpf.”

Percy frowned at the woman’s flagrant arrogance, but he couldn’t bring himself to get angry at her, probably a good thing considering he was immortal. Speaking in a steely, more forceful voice than before, he said, “He told me to take charge of the lesson because I, in his own words, ‘seem to know more about this than we all do’. So I walked to the front of the classroom to teach, and that’s when he sent me here. Did I do something wrong?”

Miss. Bird frowned, but her voice portrayed a certain giddiness, as if she was happy at the fact. “Yes you did, Mr. Jackson!”

“Could I enquire as to what that something was?” Percy asked, still frowning, because from his point of view, he had done what he was told to the letter.

“No you may not! Stop answering back, Mr. Jackson! You’re only making this worse for yourself!” she said, her frown deepening and the giddiness gone. She was very disrespectful for a Principal, he noted, looking down on him as if he were a mere petulant child.

“Now...punishment...punishment...Hmmpf. Seeing as this is a first time offence, Mr. Jackson, I will be lenient...A letter of apology on Mr. Speed’s desk by tomorrow morning. Is that understood?”

He didn’t respond, just as she had ordered. Instead, he fixed her with a passive gaze, playing her for the fool that she was.

In response, her deep frown morphed into a look of sheer annoyance and anger at his refusal to speak. “I said, is that understood?” she all but growled, her face growing red, a funny sight in Perseus’s eyes, but as before, he didn’t respond.

His insubordination had its desired effect, the little dwarf clambering out of her seat to bang on the desk loudly. “Mr. Jackson, I demand you answer me right now!” she shouted, way too loudly in Percy’s opinion.

He most assuredly wasn’t fazed by her shrill voice, but even so, decided that the best thing to do would be to indulge her. “You told me not to answer back,” he said blankly. 

There was a brief moment of silence as Miss. Bird sank back into her chair, before that shrill, ear-deafening voice roared once more. “Get out my office, right now, Mr. Jackson! I don’t want to see you in here for the rest of the year!”

He couldn’t removed himself from her presence quickly enough.

The bell rang the instant he stepped out of the door and by a stroke of luck, met the little hispanic elf, Leo, on his way towards history class.  

“Hey Perce, where’d you go last period?” he sprang up, breaking into Percy’s brisque stride. 

“Miss. Bird’s office,” the taller of the two shrugged.

“Why?”

“Because Mr. Speed sent me.”

“Why?”

“Because I answered a question.”

“Wh-"

“Don’t even finish that word, Leo!” pipped the songful voice of Percy’s cherokee friend, who had sprung up out of nowhere behind the duo and flicked Leo around the ear. The mere sound of her voice was enough to bring a smile to Percy’s face.

“Yes, ma’am…” Leo drawled, rubbing his hearing apparatus as they filed into the dimly lit classroom, a welcome sight when the rest of the school was awash with bright lights that made it appear sunlight itself was seeping through the walls.

Examining their relationships, Percy had swiftly come to the conclusion that Piper was the anti-Leo - completely immune to his ‘charm’ but also endeared by his spontaneous and energetic outbursts. On the other hand, Leo was the anti-Perseus - his mischievous and energetic disregard for all things authoritarian flew right over Percy’s head.

With Piper seated directly in front of Percy and Leo next to her, they took their seats, waiting for their history teacher, Miss. Moché to arrive, whom, it had to be said, was a young, fair and kind teacher, a complete contradiction to the rest of the staff.

“Sorry I’m late, class...Your papers from last term have been graded and will now be handed out. Have a quick flick through, see what you did well and not so well, and then we’ll move on to this term’s assignment,” the perky Blonde said, walking into the class five minutes late, fumbling with a stack of papers in her arms, which were swiftly handed around.  

“Man, this blows! A ‘D’? Miss. Moché is out to get me, I know it!” Leo exclaimed, groaning as the large ‘D’, written in red pen, presented itself to him.

Percy could hear Piper roll her eyes at Leo’s lame excuse. “Miss. Moché is the nicest teacher in the school, _bad boy_. She’s not out to get anyone.”

“Well, what did _you_ get, _beauty queen_?”    

She twisted her head towards Leo and Percy could see the playful smugness plastering her face. “ _I_ , got a big fat ‘B’,” Piper drawled, proudly displaying the large red ‘B’.

The latino groaned into his hands, either in embarrassment or indignation. “The luck of the rich…” he muttered, before turning to Perseus, who sat, watching on in interest. “How ‘bout you, Perce? No way did you get a better grade than I did.”

“I got an ‘A+’,” the god shrugged nonchalantly. A photographic memory helped.

“What! No way you got an ‘A+’!” he cried, and in response, Percy, amused, showed him the big fat A+ with a bonus smiley face underneath. “He did...he got an ‘A’...The guy who didn’t even know who George Washington was got a higher grade than me…”

“How _embarrassing_ , _bad boy_. On the bright side, the chicks dig someone who gets below average grades, right?” Piper smirked, nudging Leo with her shoulder, much to his displeasure.

“Hey! You got less than him too!” he exclaimed.

Piper shrugged, disinterested in his point. “Yeah, but history remembers the winners and the losers, not the ones that come in second place, _McShizzle_...Don’t worry... _I’ll_ come to your funeral.”

Percy was about to say that he would be at his funeral too, but Miss. Moché was clamouring for quiet.

“Settle down class, settle down...Now if any of you are dissatisfied with the marks you received or have any queries, please see me after class. Now, to prepare you for the end of term test, I have devised a small assignment for you all to complete...Don’t worry, it’s nothing major; just a research project. With your partner - your partner being the person seated behind you - pick a figure from Greek mythology and write a report about him or her. I’m looking for sourced information here, rather than lines of text, so watch what you write. Deadline is a week from today. I’ll give you some time to discuss things with your partner.”

Seeing as Percy was in the back row, there could be no argument as to who his partner was. “Looks like we’re partners, Perce. Got any ideas?” the cherokee girl smiled, twisting her body to face him.

“Several,” he nodded, feeling strangely confident.

* * *

Percy’s confident feeling about the history project was lost the instant Piper opened open a particular Wikipedia page on one of the Library's computers.

“Hey! Perce! Let's do ‘Perseus’! It will be cool to write about the figure you were named after!”

“Which one?” Percy hesitantly replied, feeling apprehensive all of a sudden.

“The one that guarded Olympus...Supposedly, he had green eyes and black hair...just like you, Perce! This is perfect!”

He cringed at his role description, mainly because it was entirely accurate. ‘The one that guarded Olympus’ - That was basically all he was, though a ‘used to’ was needed somewhere in that sentence. “W-what...w-what does it say about m-him?” he asked, biting his lip hard at his slip up.

“Quite a lot, actually. Son of Poseidon and Gaea...Ordered to guard Mount. Olympus by Zeus as punishment for...being born...Wow. Tough break…Says he was one of only Gods to ever have rebuffed Aphrodite’s advances...So he was either blind, gay or had a lot of self-respect...It also says here that Hesiod wrote about him in _Theogony._ Maybe you can seek out a copy? Should be in the ancient history section.”

Percy nodded numbly, before standing up and slowly walking along the rows of book shelves, aimlessly searching for the ancient history section, whilst a million thoughts passed through his mind. People...knew about him? Mortals had written about him? How had they found out? He had deemed himself obscure centuries prior, distancing himself from mortal worship that was reserved for the Olympians and minor gods only. He was curious as to what was said about him, but at the same time, deeply disturbed, imagining there had been someone invisible, silently observing him at every moment of his life, writing down everything he did. Mortal documentation on the gods was hazy at best, but the fact that Piper could go on a website and read about his numerous exchanges with the Love goddess scared him a little. What else did they know? He wouldn’t say he had lived a life full of amazing moments, or even interesting moments...but it was _his_ life.  

Theogony was exactly where Piper had said it would be. The poem detailed the origins of the Greek gods as well as their mortal affairs with a vague degree of accuracy. The details were mostly wild and speculative, but the main points were sound.

Glancing down the row of bookshelves towards the computers where Piper was seated, Percy flicked the book open, silently reaping any and all information on the pages. Almost all of it, he knew, but he wasn’t at all concerned with what _he_ knew; he was concerned with what the author, Hesiod, knew. Then, his name appeared on the page, just under the verses about the pit itself. With a due sense of foreboding, Percy reluctantly began reading.

‘ _When Zeus drove the Titans from Olympus, monstrous Gaia bore her last child Perseus in Paphlagonia with Poseidon through golden Aphrodite. His hands were strong and his mind just. The feet of the powerful god were weariless and from his head flowed the dark locks of Tartarus, though his eyes were kind, sea-foam just as the goddess that bore him was. He was the contradiction.’_

His hands were gripping the book tightly by the end of just the first verse, his fingers turning a milky white, a heavy weight on his chest suddenly materialising, though why he was angry, he had no idea. _‘Lies! Lies! Lies!_ ’ his mind screamed. _‘Aphrodite didn’t give birth to me!...Did she?...No! She couldn’t have! Gaea loved him...He wouldn’t have...Why would Aphrodite…’_

His anger slowly died down, only to be replaced by confusion and inexplicable sadness at the possibility of his origin story being a lie. The rational part of his mind waved the thought off. It was a book written by a mortal who had no access to real, provable information, after all… But at the same time...Hesiod roughly knew what he looked like and Perseus had certainly never revealed himself to any mortals… He didn’t know what to believe…

Percy resisted the overwhelming urge to put the damaging, confusing book down and run as far away as he could from the library. Instead, he read on, becoming increasingly apprehensive as time wore on.

_‘Gaia wailed ceaselessly through Love’s mouth, her energy sedated and waning, while the Storm carried the silent Perseus away to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. After days of torment, Gaia’s screams slowly died as she fell into a deep slumber. Her monstrous offspring would eventually wreak havoc on the mortal world years later.’_

Percy shook his head heatedly at the account he was reading. _‘Lies! Gaia was put to sleep after the giants had failed! And Love...No, she wasn’t there!’_

 _‘Love paid dearly for her pity, 10 years reforming in the bronze prison her punishment, and only by the mercy of Earth’s husband was she not there longer. The domainless Perseus suffered just as his surrogate had done, the voices of aspects as yet untouched or explained by mortals plaguing his every waking moment. Such was the pain that the Sea was forced to put a lock on the godly energy that begged to be released, and the boy spoke for the first time at the age of ten.’ Clunk._ The book fell to the floor, impacting with a sound that resonated around the mostly deserted library, and Percy took a step back from it, winded, as if punched in the stomach. The part about the voices was true, uncannily so, despite the clear lack of detail. Those sleepless nights, voices wailing in his head screaming nothing and everything. His father would chain him up to stop him from bashing his head against the wall. Ten years of pure agony, culminating with him silently begging for his father to kill him, and when Poseidon soothed him to sleep that night, he honestly thought he had. Whatever his father had done to him, it had worked because when he woke up, they were gone from his mind entirely, and the first words he had ever spoken were still embedded in his mind. ‘A-are they really gone?’ he had whispered, before hugging Poseidon tightly, sobbing into his chest.

Thinking of it usually made him sad, even more so recently, as it was one of only a few moments in his life that they had shared an intimate moment, one of the few moments that Perseus thought his father loved him.

Even so, the fact that a key, personal moment of his life could be accessed so freely shocked him greatly. He had thought the words written in the prior verses were lies, but now that he had seen something that was meant to be a secret tossed in so freely amongst other snippets of information, he wasn’t so sure anymore, and it wasn’t as though Poseidon had ever told him what had happened. Reading just three verses had left a massive hole in his heart, and an internal conflict was brewing from within. He needed to know for definite whether what was written were lies or the incontrovertible truth, and there was only one man who could give him the water to quench his first.

To his everlasting regret and guilt, he turned on his heel and sprinted up the row of bookshelves, right past a bewildered Piper, and out of the library door. He could’ve sworn he heard a woman lazily drawl ‘Perseus...you are _my_ son…’ in his ear, the instant before he moved.


	7. Fireworks

Percy ran into the hall, pushing unsuspecting students out of the way. A few shouted out angry words towards him, but he ignored them. He wasn’t exactly sure where he was trying to go, but he knew that he just had to find a place where he could be alone. He turned down a random hallway and opened up a random door. He shot inside and slammed the door shut behind him. He leaned back against the door and took a few deep breaths to steady himself.

Outside he could hear a couple of angry students still shouting out, but it didn’t matter to him. All he needed to was get to a private place so that he could find some answers. As he felt his heart rate slow, he looked around the room. It was small, with only a window in the corner of the room providing it with light. There were a few different cleaning supplies in random places around the room with a small desk in the corner.

He breathed out slowly before moving over to the corner and sitting against the wall. Calming down, he began to think of what he would need to contact his father. Of course, he would Iris message him. It was the easiest way besides looking for a body of water and calling out to him. Although, at this point he wasn’t so sure that his father would even respond to his calling.

He slowly moved his hands out in front of him. He needed at least one drachma to create the message, and since he didn’t have any on him, he would have to summon some. He breathed in and out again, gathering his power. He had only successfully summoned items a few times, as he didn’t need to do it often to guard Olympus. As he sat there, he felt his power build. Suddenly there was a bright flash, and three gold drachmas appeared in his hand.

A triumphant smile appeared on his face before it quickly disappeared. His stomach churned and the drachmas slipped out of his hand. The room around him was spinning, and he was having a hard time breathing once again. Besides the fact that summoning items wasn’t needed for his previous job, there was another reason why he didn’t do it often. It drained him of most of his power.

He had always been envious of the other gods, watching them summon items endlessly and teleporting to anyplace they pleased. He never figured out why he was the only immortal to feel so powerless after performing such a simple task. Shaking his head slightly, he glanced back down at the coins on the floor. There was no reason to dwell on that fact now, there would be time for it later.

Still slightly dizzy, he slowly reached down and picked up the coins. He only needed to use one to start the call with his father and so he slipped the other two in his pocket, in case he needed them for later. He placed the hand not holding the coin against the wall, steadying himself as he stood up. Glancing around the room, he found a small bucket on top of the desk that hopefully had some water in it.

He took a few small steps forward, pushing himself off of the wall. As he slowly approached it, he noticed that it was no ordinary bucket. It had a long spout on one end, with a large handle on the opposite side. He had seen one before. His Aunt Demeter had carried one around with her one time, travelling all across Olympus to water the plants. He grabbed onto the handle and smiled as he felt the water slosh around inside.

He picked it up and made his way over to the window. Sliding it open, he sighed in relief when he noticed the sun above him. In order to start an Iris message you needed to have some mist and a rainbow, which required the sun. He stuck the hand holding the watering can outside and titled it forward, watching as the water poured out, also forming a little mist. As soon as he noticed a small rainbow forming, he threw the drachma into the mist and watched as it disappeared.

“Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering. Show me Poseidon in Atlantis.” He watched the mist and prayed that she would accept the offering. After a few moments, the mist wavered and a split second later he was staring at his father. Poseidon was sitting on his throne, reading a document that he had in his hand. Percy coughed slightly in his hand to get his attention.

Poseidon jumped and looked up, finally noticing his son. “Ah Perseus.” He started as a small, forced smile appeared on his face. “I wasn’t expecting you. What do you need?” A frown appeared on Percy’s face at his father’s words. He had been released from Olympus weeks ago, and he didn’t even ask if he was alright. Percy pushed that thought aside. He had long since realized his father’s true feelings towards him, and nothing would change them.

“I just have a few questions.” He began, watching as his father just nodded his head silently. “About my birth and childhood.” At this the smile on his father’s face disappeared, only leaving a weary expression in it’s place. “Ah…” Poseidon muttered. He sighed before placing the document in his hand down and staring back up at his son. “I see. And what are these questions?”

Percy gathered his thoughts before answering. “I read a book by a man named Hesiod. An-” A scoff from Poseidon interrupted him. He stared at the man before him who was waving his hand dismissively. “Perseus, many mortal tales about the gods are made up. Completely inaccurate. Don’t worry about anything you read in some old book.” Percy understood what his father was implying. After all, how could a mortal author get everything right about the godly world, but there was a small bit of doubt in the back of his head.

“Yes, I understand that.” The boy continued. “But I don’t understand how he managed to learn about some of the stuff he did. For instance, he knew about the voices and he was able to describe how I looked perfectly.” At this, Poseidon nodded his head. “Yes, yes. I’ve heard it all before.” He leaned forward in his throne, trying to get more comfortable. “But what you have to realize is that many times if the mortal did not make up the entire story, they only had bits and pieces of an immortals tale. And then they would make up stuff to fill in the blanks.”

Poseidon stopped for a moment and scratched his beard. “Listen Perseus, I have to go. I need to sort out problems here in Atlantis. Just know this. You, and only you know what is actually true about your life and what is not. You are the one living it after all. Don’t let some dead mortal make you think you don’t know what actually happened.” As he finished his statement, he swiped his hand through the mist, severing the connection.

He frowned, upset with his father. He knew that they weren’t on the best of terms, but he didn’t expect his father to end the call so abruptly like that. Although, what his father said did make sense. But even though he had said all that, it had done nothing to alleviate the small amount of doubt that remained in the back of his mind.

A soft knock interrupted his thoughts. He glanced up at the closed door for a moment before looking back down at the ground. “Come in.” He muttered, still staring at the ground. The door creaked quietly as it was pushed open. He heard the person take a few steps closer to him before stopping in front of him. “Percy.”

Percy glanced up at his teen friend. Piper stood there with a concerned look on her face. Her lips were pressed together, and her eyebrows were furrowed with worry. After watching him for a moment more she fell silently onto her knees, bringing her face closer to his. “What’s wrong?” She muttered, placing her hands on top of her knees.

Percy shook his head quietly before turning away. He didn’t want to hurt his friend's feelings, but he really wanted to be left alone now. He still felt as if his entire life had been a lie. Even if he had made up some, how had that man gotten the rest of the true information? And more importantly, which was right? The life he had lived, or that man’s version of his life. Even though his father had attempted to reassure him that most of the stuff in that book was false, he just couldn’t help but feel unsure. And while he hated to think like this, he wouldn’t put it past his father to lie to him and have him think he lived an entirely different life.

A small frown appeared on the girl's face as she reached out and placed one of her hands on top of his. The boy jumped slightly at her touch, not expecting it and looked back to meet her eyes. They shone with concern, but there was a small hint of determination, and from that he knew that she wouldn’t leave until she got an answer.

He let out a small sigh before gathering his thoughts. Obviously he couldn’t tell her the real truth, as she was a mortal, so he would have to make up something. “It was something I read.” He started, still looking into her eyes, “It just shocked me, and so I needed to think about it for a bit.” She frowned slightly, clearly not satisfied with his answer.

“What did you read about?” She questioned, using her hand to grab onto his. Percy felt his cheeks burned slightly at the touch, but forced himself to stay focused. He shook his head before answering. “It was nothing. Like I said, I was just shocked.” Piper stared at him for a few moments, her kaleidoscope eyes burning into his green ones. After a moment she nodded softly, giving up for now.

“Alright.” She muttered, “If you ever want to talk, I’m always here.” Percy nodded his head. He was relieved that she backed off. He wasn’t sure how many excuses he would have been able to make before she realized that something was off. But, on the other hand, he was thankful for her support. It made him feel even closer to her. He hadn’t had many moments like this before, and so he cherished them now.

Percy felt the blush on his face return as he glanced down at their hands. He would never say it out loud, but he loved how her hands felt. They were soft, obviously well taken care of, and they seemed to just fit right into his hand perfectly, He slightly gripped her hands tighter with his own. He wanted this moment to last forever. Never before had he ever had a moment like this, where he felt as if someone truly cared for him.

He opened his mouth to speak to the girl in front of him when he was interrupted by a loud bell. He gulped slightly before closing his mouth, watching as Piper looked behind her at the closed door. A wave of disappointment surged through his body when he felt Piper pull her hands away. He glanced down at his now-empty hands, missing the feeling of her warm hands in his.

“Attention students.” A loud, piercing voice filled the air. “If you are in one of the classes attending the field trip tomorrow, make sure you are prepared. If you need a reminder on what to bring, please stop by the main office before you return to your dorm. Thank you.” A loud click was heard and the building went silent. Piper turned back towards Percy with a slightly surprised expression. “Ah, man. I forgot about the field trip.”

Percy nodded in agreement, although he still didn’t really know what a field trip was. Was it a trip to a field? Percy pondered over it for a few moments before shaking his head, he had other things to worry about. He glanced back up at Piper, who had been watching him silently. “Let me guess, you don’t know what a field trip is?” At Percy’s nod a small smile appeared on her face. “That’s alright. I’ll help you pack.”

Percy nodded again and raked his hand through his hair. He watched as Piper stood up and dusted off her legs. “C’mon.” She began, holding out her hand. “Let’s head out. It’ll be good to think about something else.” Percy reached up and grabbed her hand with his own, thinking she wanted to hold hands again. And so, as Percy started to stand he did not expect to also be pulled up by Piper as well, throwing him off balance.

The larger boy stumbled forward, crashing into the girl. Piper let out a small shriek as she fell down onto her back. Her arms shot out and she managed to stop her head from hitting the ground as well. Percy on the other hand fell forward. It was during moments like this that he was thankful for the training he received all those years ago. His quick reflexes allowed his arms to shoot out, so instead of falling on top of the girl, he landing on his forearms, which had landed on both sides of her head.

Piper took a deep breath to steady her rapidly beating heart. She didn’t expect Percy to come flying at her like that. As she struggled to calm down, she glanced up at the boy on top of her. A large blush appeared on her face, and her mouth opened and closed silently. When nothing came out, she blushed even more before turning her head to look at the wall.

Percy glanced down at the girl, oblivious to how she was feeling. He stared down at her for a few moments. He couldn’t stop thinking about how adorable she looked with that large blush on her face. The boy could feel his cheeks heat up and he shook his head quickly. He wasn’t exactly sure why, but ever since he had met Piper, he had been thinking more about those types of things.

“A-are you alright?” He muttered, trying not to make eye contact with the person under him. Piper only nodded, before slightly turning her head to look back up at the boy. “Yeah.” She said, “Are you going to get off of me?”

The boy stared at her for a few seconds longer before practically jumping away from the girl. He quickly stood up before offering his hand to the girl. Once she grabbed on, he pulled her up carefully so that they wouldn’t end up in that situation again. Letting go of the other’s hand, they both stepped back and looked away. Percy raked a hand through his hair, while Piper stared down at her hands. After a brief moment of awkward silence, Piper looked over at Percy.

“W-Why don’t we head out?” She started, causing the boy to look back at her. “I still have to help you pack, you know. And we don’t want to be late for the fireworks later.” Percy nodded and made his way over to the door. He quickly opened it and watched the girl walk out. He took a small step outside before glancing into the room one last time before following suit, with the door shutting softly behind him.

* * *

The two teens were now walking down the hall. After spending a good amount of time preparing for their field trip tomorrow, they had decided to make their way outside. Percy glanced confusedly over at his friend beside him. The awkward mood between them had long since disappeared, and now that they were heading to the fireworks, she seemed to be in a super happy mood. While he wasn’t complaining, he didn’t necessarily understand why she was so excited. Even though it hadn’t been a regular occurrence, he himself had seen them before, and he didn’t think that there was anything really special about them.

“C’mon Percy.” The girl started, a large smile appearing on her face. “The fireworks are starting soon. We don’t want to be late.” Percy glanced up at the girl as her words knocked him out of his thoughts. He had been so distracted by his own thoughts, that he hadn’t noticed that he had fallen far behind her. He nodded happily, returning her smile before rushing over to the girl. As he got closer, a mischievous thought popped into his head. A couple of days ago, he remembered Leo mentioned that Piper was ‘ticklish’ before proceeding to tickle the girl. Both the boys had laughed for five minutes straight before being smacked on the back of the head by Piper.

So as he got closer he thought of all the places Leo had ‘tickled’ the girl. When he was an arms-length away, Piper turned, giving Percy the perfect opportunity to strike. His arms shot out to her sides. The girl stiffened and let out a squeal of surprise. She attempted to jerk away, but the boy was too fast for her. He quickly grabbed her with one arm while continuing to tickle her with the other.

Piper’s face was bright red as she continued to squirm around, trying to break free. She had remained silent for as long as possible, but it became too much for the girl and she broke out laughing. Percy proceeded to push her over to a nearby bench and placed her on top of it. The girl swung her arms out in an attempt to knock the boy away, but once again, it proved fruitless.

He continued on, tickling her in different places, her neck, her sides, under her arms. Her eyes were closed as she continued to laugh. He could just make out a few tears forming at the corners of her eyes as she reached down and placed her hands on top of her stomach.

“P-P-Percy.” She stuttered, attempting to speak in between her laughter. “P-please stop! We a-are going to b-be late!” She squirmed around on the bench, trying to escape the larger boy’s grasp. As Percy continued to torment the girl, a large smile appeared on his face. After about another thirty seconds of torture, he stepped back, placing his hands by his side.

The girl gasped out as she tried to catch her breath. One hand reached up and rubbed her eyes, while the other was holding onto the bench to keep herself steady. After a few minutes, she managed to calm herself down and she turned to look at the boy, who was currently looking at the girl with an innocent look on his face. As she stared at him, her eyes seemed to turn a shade darker.

Percy gulped slightly and took a small step back, folding his hands behind him. “Percy.” She growled, standing up. “I’m going to get you back for that.” She walked up to him before pushing her index finger into his chest. “You won’t know when. But I will get my revenge.” Percy’s looked down at the girl with widened eyes and nodded, silently accepting his fate.

She took a deep breath before stepping back and smiling again. “Good.” She said, sending shivers up his spine at her now cheerful tone. He didn’t understand how she could be so scary one moment, but then be cheerful again the next. She turned away and started walking down the hallway once again, motioning for Percy to follow. He walked silently a few steps behind her, making sure to watch out for any surprise attacks. When nothing happened, he just followed in silence, looking around the building.

Percy took this moment to think. Less than a month ago he would have never done anything like this. He would’ve never even thought of something like this. He had gotten so used to being stuck on Olympus doing the same thing everyday. He smiled slightly at the thought. He glanced over at the girl laying on the bench, with happiness. He was now realizing just how much his short time spent with Piper had changed him. And he loved it. For one of the first times in his entire life, he felt truly happy.

* * *

Percy walked side by side with Piper. After thinking to himself for a good while, he had decided to try talking to Piper, but she had refused to even acknowledge the boy. But after a few minutes of begging and apologies from Percy, she finally gave in. They continued on their way, only stopping briefly to buy some snacks from a ‘vending machine.’ While it should’ve only taken a few minutes, they actually ended up spending around fifteen minutes by the machine due to Piper having to explain how the whole thing worked to Percy.

But now, which snacks in their arms, they continued on their way. They walked out the front doors and followed the long sidewalk to the football field. Most of the students had gathered there, some sitting down on picnic blankets, while others threw around a football or played some other game. They all formed a circle around a medium-sized stage that was built in the middle of the field. Some of the school teachers stood there as they set up the fireworks and kept students away.

The pair stopped at the edge of the field. Piper started looking around the field, causing Percy to stare at her with a confused expression. “I’m trying to find us a spot to sit.” She said as she noticed his expression. Percy nodded his head before looking around as well. He could see much farther than she could due to his height, and he could clearly see that the entire field was pretty much full.

“I don't think there’s many spots left.” The boy exclaimed, causing the girl's’ face to fall slightly. “Ah well, I guess we’ll just have to find a spot at the edge of the field then.” She muttered, starting to walk off.

Percy felt a pang of regret go through his body. He mentally slapped himself for making them stay so long at the vending machine. If they hadn’t spent so long there, then they may have gotten a spot closer to the stage. Glancing at the girl again, he felt a his stomach churn at the slightly saddened look on the girl’s face.

“Piper, wait!” He called out, reaching for her arm. As he grabbed it, he looked around for a better spot, wanting to lift the girl’s spirit. He noticed a rather tall building on the side of the field. It had a rather large box on top that had the words ‘Home’ and ‘Away’ on it, not that he knew what that meant. He pointed over to the building with one hand, still holding onto the girl with the other.

“How about we try up there?” He questioned, watching as she looked in the direction he was pointing. She raised one hand and placed it above her eyes in an attempt to block the sun. She stared at it for a moment before turning back to the boy and nodding her head. “Alright.” She said, a smile appearing on her face. “We just have to be careful, if we get caught we’ll have detention for weeks.”

They made their way over to building and stopped at the edge of the building. They carefully looked around for any possible adults, and after determining that it was clear they went to the back of the building. During their time looking for adults they had spotted the ladder leading up to the roof. Percy took all the snacks from the girl who quickly thanked him before making her way up the ladder. Once she had reached the top, Percy followed suit, making his way up to the roof.

Once on top, they looked around for the best spot. Seeing as how the roof was mostly flat, it gave them plenty of room to sit. After choosing a spot, Percy put down the snacks before taking a seat. Piper sat down next to him before resting her hands behind her head and laying down.

“This is perfect!” She exclaimed. Percy nodded his head, agreeing with the girl. For a good time the two just sat on top of the small building, looking at the large crowd below them. While they could pretty much see everything on and around the field, the flat roof provided them with enough protection so that no one could see on top. Piper was to his right, now sitting up, sorting out their snacks.

Since it was still light outside, Piper had explained on the way to the field that they would wait until the sun sets before starting the show. When he had questioned why, all she had said was that watching fireworks at night was an entire different experience than from watching them during the day.

And so the two sat, chatting about random things or laughing about a joke that Piper made. Well, Piper usually laughed by herself before having to explain it to Percy. The thought that something had happened inside his head crossed her mind once again, but she just pushed the thought away. Opting instead to just enjoy the time she spent with him.

* * *

As the sun set, the two quieted down and watched as the first fireworks shot up into the air. A comfortable silence filled the air, only to be interrupted by the occasional blast of a firework. Every so often, one of the two would point at a particular one that they liked or commented on something. But besides that, they relaxed, just enjoying themselves.

At some point Percy glanced up at Piper, who was staring up at the sky. He couldn’t deny how beautiful she was. With her face illuminated by the fireworks and her eyes sparkling. He could stare into her eyes for hours and still be left wanting more. A blush emerged on his face at this. He had never thought those things towards anyone before. Leaning towards her slowly, he grabbed onto her shoulder and turned her towards him.

Now, he had never been one to overthink things. During a battle or tough situation he would often rely on his reflexes and nerves to get him through. But staring into her eyes, he felt the impulse to do something he had never done before. He leaned forward before gently pushing his lips onto hers.

Piper’s eyes widened, surprised at the action. Her first thought was to push him away, but after a second she relaxed, and gently returned the kiss. She had never experienced anything like this before. They continued for another ten seconds, but to her it felt like hours. When he slowly pulled away there was a small tingling sensation on her lips. She felt cold, and she was wanting to bring the heat back.

She took a deep breath before looking up at the boy next to her. A large blush was covering his face as he stared down at her. “I-I’m sorry.” He stuttered, nervously raking a hand through his hair. “I should’ve asked first or someth-” He was interrupted when Piper pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him.

“It’s alright.” She said, a small smile on her face. “I liked it.” A small blush appeared on her cheeks and she lowered her finger. Percy sighed slowly and nodded, “I did, too.” He smiled before scooting a little closer to her, so that their legs were touching. He laid down on the roof and motioned for the girl to do the same. When she leaned back she rested her head on his shoulder, right underneath his head.

Fireworks continued blasting overhead, but that didn’t faze the two. They spent the remainder of the evening just enjoying each other's presence. When the fireworks came to an end, they carefully made their way down before walking back to the dorms. They quickly said goodbye to each other before heading into their separate rooms. As both were falling asleep, the one thing they did was wish the other goodnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments and let me know what you think! Thanks for all the support these past few chapters!  
> Follow me on Twitter @PFWriting and @PraetorFable for updates or if you wish to chat! Thanks!


	8. The Canyon

 

 

 

 

Even before Percy fell off the massive cliff in the middle of a place he had never heard of, he was having a rotten start to the day. Annoyingly, it had started off perfectly...and then it just sort of went downhill. With his lips still tingling from the kiss he had shared with Piper the night prior, he had awoken to sweet silence, a rare delight when sharing a room with Leo, who made it his mission to stand out as much as possible. Breakfast too, was Leo-free, allowing Piper and him to converse freely about the events of the previous night. A few girls had cooed at the sight of their entwined hands, much to Percy's embarrassment, but even so, the grin could not be wiped of his face, the same being said for Piper.

Boarding the school bus, (the thing that looked like a shed on wheels in Percy's mind), went off without a hitch. Although the son of Poseidon was surprised to see all four tires inflated, an opportunity lost on Leo's part, in his opinion.

For nine-tenths of the journey, everything was fine. There was an air of normality about the vehicle - pupils sleeping, chatting quietly or looking out the window. Of course, that all had to change. Percy was the only one out of thirty or so kids on the vehicle to have flinched when lightning struck the road in front of the bus. It was surreal, almost. A sound almost identical to Zeus's lightning bolts in both amplitude and intensity, and the three-thousand-year-old warrior was the only one to react.

Percy's head turned to the left towards the seats that Leo and Piper were sat in, his green orbs searching theirs faces... to find nothing amiss. The curly-haired Hispanic was staring at the window with a bored look planted on his face while his hands busied themselves with what appeared to be several metallic springs. Piper, on the other hand, stared blankly ahead, looking bored out of her mind. As his eyes searched her face, she turned and sent a beautiful smile his way, those perfect kaleidoscopic orbs gazing at him… and Percy could only manage a weak smile in response.

Slouched back against his seat, he stared straight ahead, a numb look on his face, his mind trying to process what had happened. Had he imagined it? Was it something so common in the mortal world that they neglected to bat an eye? Both were unreasonable answers. While Percy was capable of imagining things, he certainly could distinguish between what was real and what was fake. And loud noises having no effect on mortals? Leo's boom-box would disagree. The son of Poseidon blinked, and for a second, the whole world seemed to slow to a crawl.

The strange experience was over barely a second after it had begun. As if acting by instinct, he turned his head towards his two friends once more, but stranger still, Piper was no longer in her seat.

"You okay?" her voice sounded distant, and until Percy looked past her, he had assumed she was talking to him. On the dirty bus floor was a boy who looked the same age as Percy's classmates, and if it weren't for the fact that the son of Poseidon had never seen him before, he very well could have been.

The kid sat up, rubbing his eyes, clearly groggy and unfamiliar with the surroundings he found himself in. Whoever he was, he didn't belong there, that much was true, and at a preliminary guess, he smelled the work of a playful God - it was simply the kind of thing they would do. Find a random kid and plant him on the very school bus a three-thousand-year-old deity was riding, just because they could. Even so, Hermes was losing his touch.

The ancient deity narrowed his eyes at the boy. There was a noticeable disturbance to the air, an increase in pressure...and it seemed to be exerting passively from a sixteen-year-old that had appeared literally out of nowhere. In some ways, it was like what Percy felt whenever he was near Leo...except it was amplified one-hundred-fold.

As if his sudden appearance wasn't bad enough, Percy finally noticed the fact that Piper was holding his hand in her own, causing a new, unknown wave of emotion to pass through the Gatekeeper's body, from head to toe. He felt inexplicably angry for some reason but at the same time, yearned to be in the kid's shoes, desired to hold Piper's softness in his own, just as he did the night prior during their serenade on the school roof. It had taken months to gather the courage to take Piper's hand in his, yet this kid had just shown up and Piper was already looking at him as if he were family, or something similar.

Those swirling green pools glared at their entwinement, as if trying to will them apart through sheer willpower, half wondering why he felt so annoyed suddenly. His 'prayers', however, were answered not seconds later – with the boy wisely letting go and claiming a seat next to Percy.

"Who are _you_?" Percy snapped, probably a little too harshly in truth, causing the mystery boy to flinch visibly. Being hardwired for protection detail made him suspicious of newcomers by default, especially those that had shown up unannounced. The kid was a threat, but at the same time, an unthreatening one to himself. Appearance wise, he reminded Percy of Apollo, with his sandy blonde hair and regal face.

A pair of familiar, sky-blue eyes whirled around to face him, and Percy couldn't stop himself from frowning - the kid likewise, though his appeared more confused than anything.

After a good few seconds of green-on-blue eye contact, the kid opened his mouth to speak but a certain Latino elf spoke up before any words could be uttered. "I don't know who you're talking to Perce, but Jason is right in front of you… How'd you fall off your seat anyway, Jace?" Leo asked, hands fiddling away with a few springs, as per the norm, while Piper stared at him, a concerned frown painting her bright face.

Once again, the newcomer, 'Jason', as Leo called him, opened his mouth to answer, and as before, he was cut off.

"Alright, cupcakes! Listen up!" a teacher down front shouted - Coach Hedge, Percy recognized. For whatever reason, the five-foot-zero PE teacher had given him a wide berth from day one, puzzling the son of Poseidon to no end. Whereas every other student in his class would get an earful for their lack of effort, despite being worked to death, Percy was largely ignored, and though he knew that being the fittest student in the school by a long way had something to do with it, there was more to it than that. For one thing, the same feeling of placement that Leo gave off, as well as Jason, was present in the sour teacher.

The coach glared at every student individually, waiting for quiet, though when his eyes settled on the newcomer, he frowned. When those untrusting beads settled on Percy, however, they lit up slightly, and Percy realized that like him, Coach Hedge knew Jason wasn't meant to be there, unlike his best friends. What the coach said next was lost in translation, but Jason's, on the other hand, made alarm bells blare inside Percy's mind.

"This is some kind of mistake. I don't know you. Any of you for that matter. I'm not meant to be here," the kid said.

"Yeah, sure! This is all a dream! I didn't run away six times. Piper didn't steal a BMW and run Percy down with it. It's a conspiracy I tell ya!" The elf replied, causing Piper to blush.

"I didn't steal that car, Leo... And Perce stepped out into the middle of the road without looking! It wasn't  _entirely_  my fault!" was her reply, coupled with a sorry glance that was sent Percy's way.

"Oh, right, sure. Whatever you say, Piper. I still don't understand why you didn't call the cops, though, Perce."

"I awoke to surroundings I didn't know, to people I didn't recognize. I had no idea what had happened. I think the better question is why Piper brought me to her house. I was a complete stranger, after all, and strangers are hard to trust, are they not?" the Gatekeeper replied, though his eyes never left Jason's, as if he were actually talking to him instead of Leo.

A worried look settled on the face of the blonde after a moment of inquisition. No doubt he could feel Percy's timeless eyes bore into his own, secrets unraveled and declassified, naked to those vibrant green eyes.

Eventually Jason turned away towards the two oblivious kids sitting on the opposite side, gazing upon them with a pleading expression - one that made Percy almost feel sorry for him. "I don't...I don't know any of you...seriously. Where am I? Who are you people? What am I doing here?"

For the first time, Piper looked genuinely worried, her brow scrunched up in intense concentration as she tried to piece together what was going on. "Jason...is this a joke?" the 'kleptomaniac' asked quietly, tipping her head forward ever so slightly.

Percy answered before he could get a word in, however, because as suspicious as he was, the kid seemed to be genuinely oblivious as to why he was on the bus in the first place. That said, his contented peace had been disturbed; how could he not feel a little distrustful of the kid who knew nothing but his name? "No. He's not joking."

There was a brief, awkward moment of silence, before Leo popped up out of the blue. "Did you walk into a lamp post again? I wish I had a video camera on hand when you did that the first time..."

Piper ignored him, as did Percy. Not least because he had no idea what incident the little elf was referring to. Out the corner of his eye, he spotted the girl he had kissed the night before putting a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Jason, what's wrong?"

"I don't… I don't know who I am…"

* * *

The bus pulled up in front of an unremarkable, sand-colored complex that matched the arid surroundings. It was a bleak day, and there were very few tourists around, but more alarmingly was the sudden change in weather that they had paid witness to. When they had left the wilderness school, the sun had been its usual, overzealous self. It had completely disappeared in the few hours it had taken to arrive, ugly grey clouds taking precedence in its stead.

Piper, Leo and Jason walked onwards into the building, as per coach Hedge's instructions, while Percy trailed behind, his eyes boring a tunnel through the kid's head, trying to work out who and what he was through sheer willpower alone. In some ways, he was reminded of the stories he had heard about gods taking the form of a mortal to spy or wreak havoc. While it seemed unlikely, it was certainly a possibility. The glaring problem with that theory was that whoever had decided to spy on him would have to retain a slightly inflated view of his worth.

It didn't take long for the class to be split in groups as they made their way towards the skywalk that was suspended above the canyon. The pairs of students spread out and soon began their assignments, hoping to complete them quickly so that they could get back to sight-seeing. Percy had begun to make his way towards his partner, not removing his eyes from Jason's form the entire time, but was interrupted by a voice behind him.

"Not so fast, Jackson. I want a word with you."

"What's this about, Coach Hedge?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Jackson. The kid that appeared out of the blue; everyone thinks that he's a student, including your friends. Everyone except you and me. You're powerful; too powerful to be half-blood and you definitely don't smell like monster, so I'm going to ask you once, Jackson.  _Who are you?_ "

"My name is Perseus, Protector of Olympus, and you're a satyr, aren't you? Put in the school to protect...Leo, is it?"

"You're the Gatekeeper? You don't look like much… And yes…Piper too, and now, it seems, that new kid as well… Why did they send you? I assume you're here to pick up the special package?"

"Piper's a demigod… I guess that makes sense, but...what's this 'special package' you speak of? I came of my own free-will. No one sent me here."

"Whatever. I assume he's the special package they were talking about. But the point is, with a third demigod showing up out of the blue, I've got to protect three instead of two until this extraction team arrives. I  _suppose_  it's fortunate that you're here."

"How can I help?"

"Just sit tight and hope nothing bad hap-" Lightning flashed overhead, silencing the coach before he could finish his sentence. The wind increased in intensity, and the whole skywalk shuddered and groaned.

"Everyone inside! Forget your worksheets! Off the skywalk!" the coach bellowed, and there was a great panic as kids screamed and ran for the exits. All the while, Percy had remained where he was, seemingly unaffected by the wind or the thunder that was frighteningly close overhead.

He looked around towards each set of doors in turn and spotted Piper holding a set of doors open, along with her annoying partner, Dylan. Her chocolate brown hair was strewn wildly across her face, and her jacket was fluttering chaotically in the fierce winds, but impressively, she was completely composed, as if the present situation was an everyday occurrence.

Coach Hedge, Leo, and the mysterious demigod, Jason, sprinted for the duo, but the hurricane-force winds held them back with ease. The instant the last kid stumbled inside, the door slammed shut, trapping the six on the skywalk. Piper pounded on the door, just as kids on the inside did, but it was no use.

Percy's eyes flicked towards Dylan, and looking at his crazed grin, it suddenly struck him what was at play. Three demigods, a satyr, and a god all trapped on a skywalk during an unnaturally powerful hurricane blew overhead was no coincidence. And the blonde-haired transfer student that was apparently faster than light itself during track-events stuck with them as well? Also not a coincidence.

The son of Poseidon opened his mouth to warn Piper but Dylan blew her into the doors and then backwards onto the glass deck, her limp body sliding across the floor until it stopped an equal distance away from both parties. The sickening  _thud_  in which her face connected with the glass incited a burning hatred to spring up from the pit of Perseus's stomach. As if his body was acting on its own accord, he took a step forward, fists clenched, only to be stopped by the coach with a firm hand.

"You cannot interfere directly!" he hissed, before turning to the newcomer who had foolheartedly tried to do the same as Perseus. "Leo, Jason; all of you stay behind me!" came the order, and as much as the Gatekeeper wanted to argue, he knew that breaking the rules was wrong. Thus, he had to be content to watch his friends fight from the sidelines. "That  _thing_  is our monster!"

"Be a sport and let the kid attack me,  _coach_! It's his funeral; not like any of you are getting out of this alive. At least let me have some fun,  _please_?"

Raising his baseball bat, Hedge jumped up and kicked off the track sneakers he had been wearing, revealing his hooves. "Prepare to die, cupcake!"

"I admire your 'spirit', but do you really think you can protect three half-bloods at once? Try it, fool!"

At his words, a swarm of spirits began to pour out of the storm above. They were upon the group in an instant, and all Percy could do was envelop Piper in his arms as the attack began. Jason had seemingly summoned a weapon and was working to defend himself, but Leo hadn't been so lucky.

With a swift gust of wind, the smaller teen had been whisked off the skywalk, much to the joy of the spirits it seemed, as the group let out a cheer as he disappeared. The last thing the group was able to hear from the elfish boy as he flew over the edge were his desperate screams, "Help! Rope? Superman? Anything!"

Jason looked ready to dive after him but was stopped when Hedge pushed him towards the spirits. "Keep those  _things_ busy while I get Leo!"

Before Jason is even able to stutter out a response, the satyr was gone, chasing after the curly-haired teen. Turning back towards the attacking spirits, Percy could see Jason tense as the hoard of spirits turned back towards him, Dylan cackling at the front. "Pathetic underlings! It's your turn now, boy!"

Jason sent a wary glance back at Percy and Piper, who had shuffled out of the boy's arms moments prior. She had picked up a broken piece of the railing and was now wielding it like a club, which unfortunately wouldn't have any effect against the mythological creatures. "What are you?" Piper spoke, the tremble in her voice clear as day.

Dylan's gaze turned towards her, but Jason spoke before he could offer a reply. "You're a ventus; a storm spirit." Cackling once again, Dylan spread his arms out wide as the spirits swirling behind him only seemed to pick up speed. "My mistress told me to wait; she said someone special was coming. I could have killed those two welps whenever I wanted...but you're the true prize, boy! She will reward me greatly for your death!"

Swinging his arms out in front, there was a bright flash as Dylan launched a bolt of lighting at the group. Piper dived out of its path, but Jason wasn't as lucky, and he was sent flying back after the bolt had struck him in the chest. As Jason was flying towards him, Percy stuck out his arms and caught the blond demigod, who looked up at him after a slight moment of confusion. It seemed that the bolt didn't do much besides disorient him momentarily.

"Why aren't you helping us!" Jason seethed, pushing the raven-haired man's arms away from him. Percy gave the boy a blank stare before switching back to the storm spirits in front of him, raising a hand to point at them as he did. "The gods have decreed it against the laws for one of my persuasion to interfere directly… They're completely inept; swing that weapon of yours at them and they'll disintegrate."

Jason grunted as he turned away, ignoring the god behind him. He had no clue what the guy was going on about, but if he didn't want to help due to some laws, he'd have to deal with it himself. Searching for Dylan, he found the 'leader' of the hoard floating up in the sky above, his eyes furrowed in confusion, "How are you still alive?"

Offering no response, primarily because he didn't know the answer himself, Jason raised him gladius up. And seemingly unsatisfied with his lack of answer, Dylan screamed out to his comrades. "Kill him, you fools!"

To Percy's surprise, the fight lasted much shorter than he thought it would. Jason seemed to have a better concept for fighting than he had let on, which didn't lessen his suspicions, but he pushed his thoughts aside for the time being. Piper had joined in momentarily and had tried to deal some damage with her makeshift club, but at Percy's command she stepped away.

Having dealt with the rest of the spirits, Dylan stood in front of Jason on the opposite end of the bridge. The spirit was seemingly fading in and out, almost becoming transparent. "This shouldn't be possible!"

With another roar, Jason launched a bolt of lightning at the monster, who shrieked out in pain as it grazed him, but remained alive. Before they could do anything else, Hedge bounded back onto the bridge from the cliff-side, swinging his baseball bat in the air wildly. "Don't fret, boy! Coach Hedge is here! I'll take them all on! Fear me, monster-scum!" Searching the bridge and sky for any enemies, a frown morphed on his face when he noticed the lack of any. "Where've they all gone…?"

Distracted by the satyr's arrival, the two demigods didn't notice when the spirit disappeared into the sky above. "You have no idea what is coming, half-bloods! My mistress is rising and she will destroy every last one of you!" "Even now she sounds my return, and you will come with me as a prize!"

Percy kept a careful eye on the spirit above, and as soon as he pointed it out, the rest of their group switched their gazes to him as well. He had begun charging towards Jason once again, who raised his gladius in preparation for the attack. But at the last second, he switched direction and flew straight at Piper. Percy lunged towards her, but he couldn't reach her in time. "If I can't have the boy, then she will have to do!" And with a swipe of his arm, he sent her flying over the side of the bridge.

Everything seemed to slow as he watched her fly over the railing on the bridge and begin her descent into the vast canyon below, screaming the entire time. Rushing over to the railing, he grasped it tightly with his hands as he whipped his head towards Jason. "Jason, save her!" Percy yelled, ignoring the cracks that formed and the pain in his hand from gripping the railing so tight.

Jason seemed to acknowledge his words, but when he hesitated after looking down into the canyon, Percy waited no longer. Launching himself over the bridge, he felt a tug in his gut that he hadn't felt in thousands of years as the earth started to shift below.

He quickly caught up to the screaming girl, who's thrashing didn't cease even when Percy wrapped his arms tightly around her midsection. As they continued to fall, Percy willed the ground below to move faster, and with a rumble a pillar erupted from the earth and began to shoot towards them, sending rocks and debris flying.

Shielding Piper's body with his own, Percy's body impacted the pillar with a loud thud. Having done nothing to hurt him, he could feel Piper's body relax in his arms as she realized they were no longer falling. Shifting the earth below him, he used it to push himself up so that he was standing on his feet, remaining mindful of the girl in his arms the entire time.

As he began to will the pillar to continue rising up towards the bridge, Piper finally opened her eyes as she turned in his arms to gaze at her savior. "P-Percy…?"

Feeling a spike of pain erupt in his head at the use of his powers, he did his best to ignore it along with the tremble that was beginning in his legs. "It's okay…" he breathed, turning his gaze from the bridge above to the girl in his arms, "I've got you… You're safe…"

As the pain only continued to grow in his head, he delicately let Piper slip out of his arms and onto the pillar of earth. Despite the shakiness of his body, he made sure to hold her as close as possible. There was a light trail of blood leading down from her forehead to the bottom of her chin, and she winced when he raised a hand to slowly wipe a bit of it away.

She clenched onto his arm tightly, refusing to let go as she stared out into the canyon below. "W-wha… The earth… it's holding us in midair… H-how?"

"It doesn't matter… Just… hold on, okay?"

Furrowing her eyebrows, she stared at him clearly unsatisfied with his answer. She would've pushed the point further, if her head wasn't continuously throbbing with pain. Still holding onto his left arm with her right, she tentatively raised her other hand to her forehead and felt around the cut skin. "Ugh… My head feels like it's done several rounds with Mayweather…"

Ignoring the urge to question her about this 'Mayweather' thing, Percy remained silent as they neared the bridge. Once they reached the edge, he helped Piper step over the railing before following suit himself. As both of his feet touched the pavement of the bridge, he let go of his control of the earth and the pillar soon crumbled into nothing.

Percy latched onto Piper's hand as a gust of wind shot across the bridge. Turning towards the middle, he was just able to make out Jason's form finishing up with Dylan. It didn't take much longer for the blond teen to rush over to the pair, his gladius still clenched tightly in his hand. "Where's the coach?" Percy questioned.

His question was soon answered when the form of the coach became visible by the large doors of the building at the end of the bridge. Beside him was Leo, who besides now sporting a couple of cuts and bruises seemed perfectly fine if the goofy grin on his face was anything to go by.

Beside him, Piper let out a small breath at the sight of their friend before she turned towards Jason, "Jason, those things...what were they?"The blond in question turned towards Piper and hesitated. He sent a wary glance at Percy beside her before letting out a sigh. "Venti - Storm Spirits."

"Right..." The brunette drawled, not satisfied with his response, "how did you learn how to fight like that…" The blond in question offered nothing more than a shrug in response, although he did sheath his sword and tuck the coin back into his pocket. Staring down at the blond, Percy watched Jason squirm nervously under his gaze. "That's because he has fought before. He just conveniently can't remember when or why."

Letting out an exacerbated breath, Jason slightly glared at Percy, "Look, I'm telling you the truth, okay?" His glare lessoned as his turned his gaze down towards the floor, "I don't...I don't know who I am or why I'm here…"

Reaching out to place one hand on his shoulder, Piper grasped his hand in her other hand tightly. "You're Jason Grace, and we're your best friends! Perce is m-." Her speech was interrupted by Percy, who was doing his best not to pull Piper back towards him and away from Jason.

"I've never seen him before in my life, and neither have you two. Someone is trying to play a trick."

Their chatter stopped as the skywalk let out a loud creek below them, and Piper looked to see a security guard banging on the glass of the closed door inside of the building. Tentatively grabbing onto the remains of the railing, she turned back towards the group. "Maybe we should get off this thing before it-"

Her words were cut off by the hyper teen standing besides her, who had already begun tinkering with some of the broken pieces of metal. "Woah!" He exclaimed, dropping the metal and raising a hand to point at the sky, "Is it just me or are there giant winged horses flying towards us?"

Following his finger, Percy made out the form of a chariot being led by two Pegasus in the front. He felt a bit of relief erupt inside of him, but at the same time a small bit of dread. "Hedge's extraction squad. They'll take us away from here."

Jason glanced at the god out of the corner of his eyes before going back to the chariot. "Extraction squad? Take us where?" Saying nothing for a moment, Percy let out a short breath as he responded, "Somewhere safe."

The chariot rolled to a stop a little way away from them on the edge of the crumbling skywalk. It had barely begun to slow down before a figure jumped out and began to stomp her way towards them. She had bright, curly blond hair and striking grey eyes. Along with the other occupants of the chariot, she wore the traditional orange shirts that Camp Half-Blood was known for with a pair of jeans and a set of converse shoes.

Coming to a stop in front of them, Percy had only raised a hand in greeting before he was interrupted. "Where is she?" Annabeth demanded, looking beyond their group to the building behind them. Following her gaze, he glanced at the front of the ruined building for a moment before turning back. "Where is who?"

When he spoke, Annabeth had shifted her gaze back to him and watching him with a scrutinizing gaze. She was quiet for a few seconds before glancing at Coach Hedge for a split second and back. "Who are you? Hedge said there were only three of you."

Percy could feel Piper's watchful gaze as she watched his face, and it took much of Percy's willpower not to look back. He hadn't exactly forgotten what the gods had done to the three demigod's memories, and while he was still incredibly annoyed about it he didn't want to act like a fool when she didn't remember what had happened. Jason had been taken by the other two demigods that had been with Annabeth and they were discussing something by the chariot, and Leo on the other hand was freaking out at the sight of the Pegasus.

Percy felt his lips begin to twitch upward when he heard a rather unsavory comment being made by one of the horses about the crazy Latino. Switching back to the blonde who was starting to get rather annoyed at his lack of response, he answered. "My name is Perseus."

Recognition flashed in her eyes quickly before she lowered her head slightly before raising it again. "The Gatekeeper." She stated, her mouth forming into a thin line. "Well, former Gatekeeper, I suppose."

He felt his eye twitch at that last comment. As a son of Poseidon, he was more than aware of the hatred the children of Athena held for his kind. He had dealt with it many times before, and he was sure that he would have to deal with it countless times again in the future. But that didn't make their attitudes any less annoying.

His chance to reply was stolen when one of the other orange t-shirt wearing demigods made their way over. As he reached Annabeth's side, he glanced down at Percy's feet before turning back and glancing at Jason. Patting Annabeth on the shoulder, he pointed a finger out towards both their feet.

"Hey, Annabeth, check it out…" He drawled, his words fading out towards the end of his sentence, "they both have one shoe… sort of."

Following his finger, Annabeth glanced down towards Jason's feet and her eyes widened. Not missing a beat, she swung her head back around and changed to Percy's feet, who had noticed her movement and was watching her with a confused expression. When he followed the blond girl's gaze, he quickly ran a hand through his hair and gave a slight chuckle.

"Sorry about that," he spoke, garnering the girl's attention once again, "I lost one of them during the fight."

Annabeth looked light she wanted to respond but was interrupted by the final Camp Half-Blood demigod making their way over. "We need to leave. The Pegasus are afraid the skywalk is going to collapse." A frown appeared across the girl's face when she glanced down at his feet once more before turning away towards the chariot.

"Ugh! Fine! We'll talk about this once we're at camp…"

She walked, well, more like stomped in Percy's opinion, back to the chariot before stepping on. Leo quickly followed suit and hopped on board, much to the annoyance of Annabeth. "Woah!" He exclaimed, reaching out to push one of the buttons on the control panel. "What do these do?!"

The demigod who had noticed Percy and Jason's lack of a shoe let out a panicked scream and ran back to the chariot to slap Leo's arm away. "Are you nuts! Click one wrong button and we could be stuck here!"

To the groups dismay, this seemed to do the exact opposite of what the boy had hoped, as Leo grew even more excited at that statement. "Awesome!" He reached his hand out again only to end up getting slapped away once more. "Aw, come on dude! I just want to give it a shot. I'm good with this kind of stuff!"

At the shake of the boy's head, Leo pouted comically and moved back to the Pegasus, much to their chagrin. Rolling his eyes, a bit at his antics, Percy took a step towards the chariot before a hand on his arm made him pause. Turning towards the culprit, he noticed Piper standing there with a noticeable look of wariness in her eyes.

"I have no idea who those people are or what's going on here; why do those horses have wings?"

The creaking coming from the bridge underneath their feet halted the immortal from offering any sort of explanation. Glancing at the Pegasus who were beginning to get more nervous by the second, he replied, "We need to leave; I'll explain everything on the way."

Taking her hand, he pulled her to the edge of the chariot before helping her up, doing his best to ignore the way she immediately went over to Jason once she had gained her footing. Pulling himself up, he watched as Annabeth took reigns hanging over the edge of the chariot before giving them a quick flick.

As the Pegasus began their ascent, Percy turned towards Jason when he heard the blond boy speak. He felt his eye twitch in severe annoyance when he noticed Jason's hand wrapped tightly around Piper's, although the boy seemed to be holding on reluctantly.

"Where are we going?" He spoke, staring at the girl at the head of the chariot. No one said anything for a moment before Annabeth looked back out of the corner of her eye.

"The only safe place for kids like us; Camp Half-Blood."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @PFWriting and/or @PraetorFable for updates regarding my stories! Thanks again!


	9. The Camp

**Chapter 9**

It didn't take long for the group to make it to Camp Half-Blood. Granted, it was a painstakingly long thirty minutes of flying for Percy. One that he hopes he will never have to relive. Although he couldn't say that he minded Piper's comforting hand on his shoulder during the ride.

When they landed, he practically jumped off the chariot and flopped to the ground, garnering a few weird looks from some of the campers. Leo quickly joined him, but instead of hugging the ground like the son of Poseidon, he was instead admiring all the stuff around camp. He shot from building to building, picking at random items and questioning anything and everything he could.

As Percy regained his bearings and turned back towards the chariot, he felt the annoyance resurge at the sight of Piper holding onto Jason's hand. They were currently talking to some campers with blonde hair and bright blue eyes, undoubtedly Apollo's kids, and they seemed to be checking Jason out.

Grumbling to himself, Percy stood back up and brushed the dirt off his pants. He took a few tentative steps towards Piper before reaching out and delicately grabbing her arm. The brunette jumped as she felt his touch, having been distracted by the campers checking out Jason. But when she turned and noticed that it was him, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Ahh… Percy, it's just you."

Tilting his head, he raised a shaky hand and traced the edges of the bandages wrapped around her forehead. The girl stiffened at his contact as her eyes seemed to grow cloudy. But after a moment, her eyes were clear once more and she relaxed, letting the boy continue.

"Does it hurt?" he questioned.

At the shake of her head, he let out a breath he had been unknowingly holding and let his hand fall back to his side. "That's good then."

There was a moment of silence, with Percy's eyes burning a hole into the ground as Piper stared at the raven-haired teen before her. He couldn't calm the shake in his right hand and so he buried it in his pant pocket. He ran his left through his hair as he let out another breath. As he looked back up at the girl standing before him, he couldn't help but wince at the blank expression on her face.

"So… So, you don't remember anything?" he muttered, becoming more anxious as she continued to stare at him.

"Remember what?" she finally spoke, causing him to frown.

"The truth. About Jason and Leo. About how we first met."

Percy watched as her eyebrows furrowed. She seemed to be contemplating his words for a moment before she raised a hand and grabbed his lightly. He felt his cheeks heat up from the contact but did nothing when a small smile appeared on her face.

"Are you sure you're okay Percy?" she laughed, raising their joined hands higher. "You mean you don't remember how we met?"

Shaking his head, he replied. "No, I remember. But do you?"

The smile fell from her face and she let go of his hand. "Of course, I do…" she trailed off uncertainly. She pressed her hand against her forehead and let out a hiss when she touched her bruised skin. "I-I mean things seem a bit fuzzy, but it must be from when I hit my head."

It wasn't. Percy knew that without a doubt but chose not to say anything. There had been some form of divine interference, but he didn't want to go around making assumptions about who it had been. Especially when it came to the Olympians. For all he knew, it hadn't even been done by any god on Olympus.

He withdrew his hand from his pocket and shakily ran it through his hair once more.

"Percy is something wrong?" she started, watching his anxious movements. It seemed so unlike him. In the time she had known him, he had always been so calm and collected. Sure, there had been times where he did some weird things, but she had just marked it down as Percy being Percy.

"How did we meet then?" he spoke, interrupting her musings.

The girl paused for a moment, and looked at her hands, seemingly contemplating his words. How they met? Surely, he remembered. It wasn't long ago at all.

"H-How we met?" she stuttered, earning a nod from the boy. She ran through her thoughts and winced as the pain ringing in her head flared up. Everything seemed so fuzzy… so unclear. She felt like she should have no issue recalling these events, but at the same time wasn't able too. Looking back at the boy she could see him anxiously awaiting her words.

"We met at the beginning of school," she started, watching as Percy clenched his fist. "I had just gotten off the train and began walking to school. I noticed a group of bullies picking on Leo, but before I could intervene you stepped in to help him. We've known each other ever since."

Disappointment flashed across the boy's face, and she couldn't help but feel as if she made a mistake. His clenched hand was shaking as his eyes narrowed. She could tell that he wasn't angry with her, but the intimidation in his eyes made her shuffle her feet in discomfort. Before either of them was able to say another word, Coach Hedge jumped over from the chariot and wrapped an arm around Percy's neck.

"Come with me, cupcake!" the half-human, half-goat shouted, pulling the teen away. Piper watched Percy struggle against the man's hold at first, but quickly gave up. He turned away from Piper and slumped over as he allowed himself to be led away by the satyr. She watched the two step behind some trees before frowning and turning back to Jason, who was still pre-occupied with the medics.

Behind the trees, Percy was glaring down at the physically older satyr.

"What are you doing?!" he demanded, the glare in his eyes having worsened.

Taking a short, annoyed breath, the satyr pointed his thumb at the group. "Do you know what you are doing?"

The god hesitated, before the expression on his face worsened as he bore down on the satyr.

"What I am doing?" he whispered, although the furious undertone was clear. "I'm trying to get Piper to remember the truth! The truth about us. About Leo. And especially about Jason."

Shaking his head lightly, the satyr placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look, I get it. Everyone heard about your dismissal, and I get that you're happy being with the kids."

Raising a finger up in front of Percy's face, he stopped the boy from speaking. "Just take a moment to consider  _why_."

The fury in the god's eyes slowly began to fade as he glanced back over at the chariots. And as he looked back and turned to the satyr, the glare was gone.

Noticing Percy's anger dissipate, Hedge grabbed a branch from the ground and began idly chewing on it.

"What do you mean?" Percy questioned after a few moments.

Letting out a huff, Hedge tossed the branch away. He didn't understand how beings so powerful could be so clueless at times.

"What I mean, cupcake, is that did you ever take a minute to think of why your memories have been messed with?"

That got Percy to pause. Considering the coach's words for a moment, he replied, "My memories weren't changed."

Coach let out another huff. "That's not the point," he began. "Why do you think those three were targeted. Why do you think that blondie over there suddenly appeared today?"

Percy glanced at Piper as he pondered over the coach's words. Why had they been targeted? Was it because he was there? No, that couldn't be it. The gods had made it clear that they didn't want nor need him anymore. They must have something planned for the trio, but he couldn't even begin to guess what. Over the years as Gatekeeper, he had heard the occasional story of a god interfering with a demigod's life, but it had never been anything too extravagant or detailed, so he hadn't given it much thought.

Scratching his cheek, Percy met the coach's gaze once more. "So, your saying that the gods have planned something?"

Hedge nodded, earning a frown from the boy. "Exactly, cupcake." And before Percy was able to reply, the satyr continued. "So, whatever you were trying to do, I'd suggest leaving it be for the time being. The gods don't usually interfere, but when they do it's normally serious."

Letting his lips settle into a frown, Percy debated the coach's words for a minute. Giving in, he sighed and gave a short nod. "Fine."

Satisfied with his work, Hedge ripped another branch off a tree and started munching on it. He glanced back at the immortal once more before hopping away into camp. Percy remained by the tree for a moment longer, staring at Piper. The anger within him was boiling, and he wanted nothing more than to let it out but held himself back. The coach had a point, and he didn't want to risk ending up on the bad side of the Olympians.

Having taken long enough, Percy stepped out from behind the tree and made his way over the chariots once more. Leo yelled at him from a distance, but he chose to ignore it for the time being.

Off in the distance, he spotted Chiron making his way over to the chariots. Throughout his years as the Gatekeeper, he had only met the centaur a few times. Once, when he was younger and first beginning his training his father had brought him down to Atlantis to help aid with his training. Then they would chat periodically throughout the years when he would visit Olympus for the solstice. The last time he had seen him had been during the aftermath of the second Titan War.

When Chiron and the campers finally made it over, the centaur nodded his head towards Percy. "Perseus," he spoke, garnering the rest of their attention. "Good to see you again."

Offering a nod in response, Percy turned towards Piper when he felt her hand on his shoulder. He could see the question in her eyes, but as she glanced over at the centaur, she seemed to hesitate.

"Percy," she muttered, "You've met him before?"

Nodding once more, he watched as her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she took a step back. "So… So, all of this… You knew about it?"

Nodding for a third time, he could only watch as she turned away from him to glance back at Jason. At the look of longing she gave the blond teen, Percy felt the small spark of annoyance resurge inside of him. He would never dare to defy the gods, but as time passed, he found himself wanting nothing more than to find the immortal who altered their memories and make them reverse it, despite what the coach said.

"So, what does all this mean?"

Percy was broken out of his musings by the sounds of Piper's voice. Looking up, he met her kaleidoscope eyes once more and felt his chest tighten. It hurt to meet her eyes, knowing that the concern shining in them was for the boy they had never seen before today. That all the memories they had shared had been altered unwillingly.

Glancing at the centaur out of the corner of his eye, he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not entirely sure."

As Piper opened her mouth to ask another question, Chiron decided to step in. "Now, now Mrs…"

"McLean." Piper finished, staring at the centaur's lower body with curiosity.

"Mrs. McLean," Chiron continued, "I'm sure that you have many questioned, and fret not, all will be answered in due time. But I assume that you are all tired after the skirmish over the canyon. I think you should all rest before we get carried away."

At the mention of rest, Percy's body suddenly felt heavy. As he had been distracted by the mind-altering fiasco, he had forgotten just how tired he had felt. The use of powers in the canyon had been the most in decades, perhaps even centuries. He had been lucky that the fight had ended when it did, otherwise he wasn't sure if he would have been able to continue fighting.

As Percy nodded his head in agreement, Chiron turned and waved for the demigods to follow him. Emptying his mind of his worries, he tiredly trailed behind the rest of the group.

* * *

Sitting on the edge of the bed within the Poseidon cabin, Percy stared down at his trembling hands. He was currently hunched over, with his elbows resting on both of his knees. His hair was messier than usual with the bags under his eyes giving him a darker look.

Taking deep, shuddering breaths, he tried to calm his racing heart, but nothing he tried worked. This was the reason why he tried to avoid falling asleep willingly as much as possible. The nightmares were overwhelming. The voices, the visions, they have haunted him for as long as he could remember. Thankfully he no longer had to deal with them when he was awake, but nothing could prevent them from ravaging his mind while he was asleep.

Raking a hand through his hair, he fell back onto the mattress. He stared up into the shadows that made up the ceiling. The voices were something that he could never forget. They spoke about horrible things, things that never cease to haunt him. His father was never able to figure out what they meant, despite calling on the aid of countless gods and goddesses.

But eventually, Poseidon discovered something. And all he remembered from that day was the silence that met him for the first time. And despite the countless times he would question his father, the elder god refused to answer, leaving Percy in the dark. And soon he left it in the past. Choosing to move on and evolve from the experience, wanting to finally experience life now that he was no longer tormented.

That hadn't lasted long, of course. As no more than six years later, Zeus sentenced him to guard the entrance to Olympus. At first it wasn't bad. His father along with countless other beings from Atlantis would visit him frequently. They would spar, have a good laugh, and enjoy their time together whenever they could. But eventually, that came to an end as well.

The first war against the giants proved to be much worse than Percy had anticipated. Despite remaining on Olympus throughout the entirety of the war, and preventing any monster from trying to enter, the people grew wary. The visitors from Atlantis stopped entirely, the immortals on Olympus stopped greeting him, and he had even been on the receiving end of some attacks due to his mother.

And since then, he had been alone. For thousands of years, he stood tall next to the entrance of Olympus, watching everyone who entered and exited. The passing immortals would no longer smile and wave, but instead ignore him as if he wasn't even there. But despite that, his loyalty never waned. Even when his father decided to stop visiting him.

He grew distant from the world below. With no one to speak with, his knowledge of the mortal world faded. He no longer heard the tales of great heroes such as Heracles, or the new mortal inventions created by Daedalus. He could only watch and admire as the immortals around him flaunted their new tools and weapons, just wondering what all those items were capable of.

So, perhaps that was why he had been feeling so attached to Piper. For the first time in as long as he could remember, someone spoke to him as his equal. She didn't treat him as if he was the scum of the earth, as if he was worthless just because of who his mother was. She told him all about the world, showing him new things and letting him try them out for himself. He would never have found out that he loved surfing, and watching movies, or playing video games if it wasn't for her.

Raising a trembling hand, Percy laid it down on top of his forehead, with the palm facing up at the ceiling. He could feel his eyes begin to burn, and his throat felt clogged, almost as if he was drowning.

Now that her memories had been changed, there was nothing he could do. He didn't have the power to reverse the memories, and he wasn't even sure who did it. Even Leo's memories had been swapped. Most of Piper's and Leo's memories that originally included Percy and been swapped and jumbled around. Now, instead of Percy being there, it was Jason.

In Percy's mind, Piper was closer to him than anyone else. The person who had been there for him every day after his exile from Olympus. The one who would meet him at the end of the boy's dorm hallway so that they could walk to their first class together. Then they would eventually meet up with Leo at lunch before the trio would head out for their evening classes.

But in Piper's mind, they were no more than acquaintances. Having only passed by each other a few times in the hallway or spoke a quick greeting as they passed each other in the cafeteria. As far as she knew, Jason was the one to accompany her and Leo to every school event and classes.

Despite that, what hurt Percy the most was the memory of what happened the day prior. Watching the fireworks with Piper had been one of the most enjoyable experiences for him at the school so far, and the kiss at the end just sealed the deal. But then he found out that she no longer thought that it had been with him, but with Jason instead.

Letting a lone tear slide down his cheek and fall onto the mattress below, Percy just continued staring up at the ceiling above. And now that he couldn't do anything to try and fix it, he was alone once more. Despite being kicked from his duties on Olympus and told that he was free to live his life as he wished, the gods interfered in his life again. And he didn't even know if it would ever go back to the way it was.

Letting out a sigh, his dark, sea-green eyes pulsed with emotion. Once more, everything that brought him happiness had been ripped away. And for the brief period spent with Piper, he had thought that he would never have to go back. But he had been proven wrong, and once again, Percy was alone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to the favorites, follows, and reviews from everyone!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Little bit of an angsty Percy here at the end. That'll be the end of that for a while though… I think.
> 
> Next chapter we finish our time at camp for the time being and we start the first quest. I wonder what that will entail… It will be from Piper's POV for a change!
> 
> If you guys are interested, I have a Discord Server available. Link is on my profile. Feel free to join and we can chat about whatever, whether it be writing, or something else entirely.
> 
> Feel free to follow me on Twitter PFWriting and/or PraetorFable for updates regarding my stories!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Walking into the dining pavilion later that evening, Percy wasn’t sure what to expect. But stepping through the door to see Leo dancing on what he assumed was the Hephaestus table certainly never crossed his mind. But it did not seem like he planned to stop anytime soon, if the cheering from a pair of blonde-haired kids had anything to say about it.

Chiron was currently making his way over, and before either of the two brothers could warn the poor boy, the centaur dragged him off the table. “Now, now, Leo. I know that you are new here, but…”

His words were quickly drowned out by the rest of the crowd. The campers moved about the pavilion, taking their seats at the proper table, or sacrificing some food to their parents in the fire. By the far end of the tent, he was able to spot Jason sitting at a table alone, although he wasn’t sure which god the table was for.

Piper sat at a table with a bunch of teens and children. Most of them had dirty-blond hair, but there were a few that didn’t match the rest. She seemed a little out of place, and by the glances she kept shooting towards Jason, it seemed that she would rather be sitting with him.

Percy was interrupted from his staring when he felt someone bump into his arm. Turning to his right, he met the even gaze of a blond-haired girl with piercing gray eyes.

“What are you doing here?” Annabeth questioned with a suspicious gaze.

When Percy’s eyes narrowed in response, the girl held her ground. She was unrelenting, and the glint in her eyes gaze her a dangerous look. Percy hadn’t able to create an opinion of her earlier on when they were at the bridge due to her constant questioning and yelling. But here, he could tell that she wasn’t one that many would mess with.

Relaxing his gaze, he turned back towards the campers and motioned towards the crowd. “I’m here to eat. That was the bell for dinner, was it not?”

The girl didn’t let up. “That’s not what I meant.” she spoke, making the god turn back to her. “What are you doing in Camp? Were you truly dismissed from your role as the Gatekeeper?”

Feeling a wave of dread wash over him, Percy could only nod. Annabeth seemed rather surprised for a moment, but quickly regained her composure.

“I’m sorry,” she stated, “It wasn’t a just thing for the Olympians to do. You tried your best against Kronos. Watching you go down, we thought that we were doomed as well. We would’ve lost if it weren’t for Luke regaining control of his body.”

It was Percy’s turn to be surprised. She had a pitying look in her eyes, and he could hear the sympathy in her voice. He pondered over her words for a moment before glancing at Piper. The brunette had her hand covering her mouth as she laughed at something one of the other campers had done. And after a moment of staring, he turned back to Annabeth.

“Sorry? For what?”

Annabeth only stared at him in silence. “You know. For being dismissed as the Gatekeeper.”

Percy shook his head, and for the first time since meeting the god, Annabeth could truly sense the age of the god. Most of the time, he acted so unlike any other immortal she met. It was easy to forget just how long he had been alive. While lacking the normal wisdom that so many other gods had, he had still witnessed and endured much more than everyone else currently in the camp.

“That decision no longer matters.” he spoke, “I have experienced so much in my time with Piper. She has shown me things I could not have even imagined while on Olympus.”

To emphasize his point, he reached over and grabbed an object off a near-by table. Holding it up in Annabeth’s face, he pointed at it with his index finger.

“This is a fork!”

Unable to hold it back, Annabeth let out a small giggle. The excitement the immortal held over a small utensil was something she wouldn’t have expected, but it was preferable to the normally stoic Gatekeeper.

Annabeth watched him place the fork back in its rightful place on the table. Retracting his hand, he looked back over at Piper. If Annabeth was reading the gods expression correctly, she would say that he had a look of longing etched across his face. Although she didn’t understand why he would be watching her with such an expression.

From what she had garnered from her earlier chat with Piper, the two had met before, but were nothing more than acquaintances. But the way Perseus acted around her was leading her to think otherwise. Said immortal just continued to stare at the new member of camp, and it wasn’t until Annabeth let out a quiet cough that he turned back to her once again.

“I have also informed Piper, Jason, and Leo about who you really are.”

She had been expecting some form of reaction from the god but received nothing. He just nodded his head and turned back to the campers in front of them.

“That’s fine,” he spoke, “They were going to discover the truth eventually.”

Sensing that he didn’t wish to speak further, Annabeth said nothing more before making her way over to the Athena table to join her siblings. The god has his quirks, but overall, he was very different from every other god. He was willing to talk, and he wore his emotions on his face, on the rare occasion that he expressed any actual emotion that is.

Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, he remained in the same spot watching Piper with the same expression as before. He knew something that the rest of them didn’t, Annabeth guessed. Something that clearly involved the new trio she had brought to camp, and she couldn’t help but wonder if it had anything to do with her missing friend.

* * *

Making his way to the campfire that evening, the last thing he wanted to see was Piper sitting right next to Jason. Both of her arms were wrapped tightly around the boy’s right, and despite the boy still looking rather uncomfortable, Piper paid it no heed.

It didn’t last for long, and just as Percy was taking a seat on the outskirts of the gathered crowd, there was a sudden burst of gasps. Seeking out the cause of the commotion, he found himself looking back at Piper once more. Having let go of the blond-haired teen, she had stood up just as her body began to glow.

Before anyone could react, her casual t-shirt and jeans had been replaced by a flowing, white dress. As the glow around her face began to die down, everyone could see the light layer of make-up that had been applied to her face. No one could’ve said that she wasn’t good looking before, but now, she was beautiful.

Percy could sense the blush forming on his cheeks, and quickly turned away, garnering the attention of some of the campers sitting beside him. Doing his best to ignore their stares, he slowly turned back. But as he watched her grab Jason’s and quickly walk away from the crowd, he couldn’t stop the frown from settling upon his face.

The rest of the event went by rather quickly, and he found that he couldn’t help but notice the excitement that the campers radiated, even if he didn’t understand many of the terms they were shouting. He had spotted Leo over by the Hephaestus cabin a few times, no doubt still ecstatic at all the possible new items he could create in their workshop. Even Annabeth had walked over and talked with him for a minute. For the most part, she was still polite when speaking with him, but he had the feeling that there was something that she was wanting to ask him, but just couldn’t force herself to.

And before long, he was alone with his thoughts once more. The once towering bonfire was now sputtering out in the center of the amphitheater. Standing up from his seat in the back, he made his way down and sat on one of the proper benches at the bottom. He let out a sigh as he rested his body against the back of the chair.

Shutting his eyes, he let his head loll back. He could feel the warmth of the campfire before him, and he reveled in it. It was moments such as this that reminded him of the feelings he once held back on Olympus. Stranded by the gate, with nothing more than his sword and fire to keep himself warm on the colder nights.

But this was different. He wasn’t alone any longer. Not with Piper or Leo around. Maybe even the campers if they were willing to converse with him.

Well, he thought he wasn’t alone at least. With their memories scrambled, he still wasn’t sure about the pair. They remembered him, but it still wasn’t much. So, while he remembered every detail of their time together, attempting to act as if nothing had changed would only confuse the pair. Especially if he were to go around spouting facts that he shouldn’t know according to them.

But there was the one question that still plagued his mind. What if it was permanent? If they couldn’t reverse the changes?

Clenching his fist in his lap, he grimaced when he felt his nails digging into his palm. There was no sense in dwelling on it anymore. Not when he was unable to do anything about it.

“You are not alone, Perseus.”

Percy’s head whipped to the flames before him, his hand instinctively reaching for the non-existent sword by his waist. Within the crackling flames sat a young girl that looked to be around the same age that he had adorned. She had light brown hair, and glowing brown eyes that shone with kindness. He had only met her once before. The very first time he had stood before the Olympian Council.

“Lady Hestia.” he spoke, relaxing his body.

The woman let out a small laugh that sounded like music to his ears. Her voice was soft and gentle. One that reminded you of a mother that would care for her child.

“It has been a while, Perseus.” Hestia started, taking a small step out of the flames. She took a seat on the log next to him and folded her hands across her legs. “I must admit, out of all the places you could have gone, I did not expect you to visit the Camp.”

Percy remained silent but nodded his head in acknowledgement. Out of the many immortals on Olympus, Hestia was always one that deserved respect. He wasn’t going to go against that by saying something foolish.

The goddess let out another laugh as she placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, causing Percy to tense up.

“Relax, Perseus. I’m only here to talk.”

The hand resting on his shoulder was making him feel the opposite of relaxed, but he did his best. It didn’t help that he could feel the goddess’ aura rolling off her body in waves. He was sure that he had only felt something similar when standing beside his father or one of the Olympians.

After a moment of silence, the tender look upon Hestia’s face grew somber. She removed her hand from his shoulder and looked at the camp around them. Percy tried his best to follow her gaze.

“I fear that this may end soon.”

Percy looked back at her as he heard the weary tone in her voice. Watching her face, she suddenly looked older, with wrinkles now wrapping around her forehead and a few strands of her once bright hair turning gray.

“The gods fight amongst themselves.” she spoke, and he could see the small fire in from of them begin to die down as her mood worsened. “Zeus has forbidden all of the gods from leaving Olympus. He has even ordered Poseidon and Hades from their domain.”

Percy’s eyes widened as questions began to flood his head. He wanted to question her words but remained silent. He knew that she had more to say.

“As of this moment, you are the only god not bound to Olympus.”

His racing thoughts came to a halt at that statement. What could be happening to cause Zeus to react in such a manner?

Watching the young god in front of her, Hestia let a tender smile settle on her face. “Do not fret just yet, Perseus. The day is still young, and things may not occur as quickly as Zeus anticipates.”

As Hestia placed a delicate hand on his upper back, he could feel his worries wash away. As he met her eyes and the smile upon her face, he felt soothed. This was part of her domain, and Percy couldn’t help but marvel at the power.

“I sense that you will have an important role to play soon.” Hestia continued.

Percy’s eyebrows furrowed. “How?” he questioned, “I have no power. The demigods are the ones who fulfill the prophecies.”

Hestia shook her head slowly. “Not this time. If our predictions are to come into fruition, then our children will need our help. We can no longer leave them to fight our battles for us.”

She paused and glanced up at the dark sky. “And I pray that Zeus comes to that realization sooner rather than later.”

Hestia’s eyes flashed red, and before Percy could react the goddess clutched her head and let out a scream of pain. Percy jumped to his feet, startled. Not knowing what to do, he could only watch as the goddess began to pulse with power. With her hands still on the sides of her head, she looked at Percy once more, but this time with eyes aflame.

“The gods grow weaker everyday Perseus. Unless the demigods unite, the gods will be torn apart. You must ensure their success.”

Watching the goddess tremble before him sparked something inside of him that he hadn’t felt in a while.

Fear.

And before he could respond, Hestia grasped onto his hand tightly, her fingers going white from the pressure being applied to his arm.

“You have power Perseus. Power that many can only dream of. But you fear it. Learn to tame it. Aid the demigods in our stead. Or else I fear that this may be the true downfall of Olympus.”

Suddenly, the pressure on his arm vanished. Without a sound, the goddess disappeared in a small burst of flames that shot embers out into the night sky. Once more, he was alone. And as he sat down on the log once more, he watched the remnants of the fire dissipate into nothing. Leaving nothing more than a small trail of smoke behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we have it. I hope you enjoyed this shorter chapter. Let me know what you thought!  
> I was having trouble with this chapter and rewrote it 3 times before ending up with this, so I hope that it was enjoyable enough.  
> Next time we move onto the quest. I wonder what that will mean for Percy?


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Percy didn't get any sleep that night.

Sitting beside the smoldering fire, he had not moved from his spot on the bench until the sound of footsteps jostled him from his thoughts. Blinking, he finally turned away from the ashes and looked up at the sky. The rising sun momentarily blinded him, and for the first time, he could sense the heat beginning to bear down on him.

Letting out a sigh, he moved his eyes away from the blaring sun and towards the footsteps. Upon meeting the figure's gaze, his eyes widened.

Still dressed in what had to be one of the most beautiful dresses Percy had ever seen, Piper's multi-colored eyes stared into his own. From the way that her now full, lush hair lay across her shoulder, to the makeup that was delicately applied across her face, she was gorgeous. Percy couldn't stop the light blush from adorning his face as he watched her.

As she came to a stop only a few feet away from Percy, she attempted to pull some of the gold ribbons from her hair but huffed when they refused to budge. The necklace hanging from her neck shone in a variety of colors, which made the flowers glitter on her chest. Her eyes flicked to the bench he was sitting on, and after a few moments of indecisiveness, she sat down beside him.

"Percy." she greeted, meeting his eyes once more.

The unknown tension between them was tangible, and Percy shifted uncomfortably in his spot on the bench.

"Piper."

Silence filled the air. Neither occupants of the bench said a word, and the only sounds they could hear were the faint chirps from the crickets in the early morning air.

Percy brushed a hand through his hair while Piper continued to press her index fingers together. He watched as she muttered quietly to herself before clenching the fabric of her dress tightly in her hands.

"So…" she drawled, "You're a god?"

Percy nodded his head. He didn't know how else to answer the question.

"So, do you like… know and see everything?"

He froze at the question. As his face slowly morphed into one of disbelief, he remained silent and she chuckled in response.

"Sorry, sorry," she answered, pressing her palms into her thighs. "I know that it doesn't work like that. Annabeth explained it yesterday. Just needed something to break the ice, you know?"

He didn't. But with Piper's memories scrambled she obviously wouldn't remember that, so he just nodded again.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" she chuckled awkwardly, giving him a light nudge with her elbow, knocking the hair off her shoulder only for it to pop right back into place.

"Urgh," she growled, reaching up to grab the hair hanging over her shoulder. "Do you know how much of a pain this is? I tried everything to undo this! I poured water over my face, messed up my hair… then cut it with a knife, and heck, even tried crying to make my eyes red. But  _nothing!_ "

Percy could hear the exasperation in her voice, and while he could not deny how beautiful she was, seeing her dressed up like this just didn't seem right. Patting her hand lightly, he let out a small chuckle. Her reaction reminded him so much of the times her father had forced her to dress up for some important event. She would hate every moment of it.

"Oh? So, you find this funny?" she teased, a smile now beginning to form on her face. "Well let me tell you-"

She suddenly cut herself off. Her eyes glazed over, and the smile disappeared. Percy frowned, but when she turned back to him, he finally spoke.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded her head at the question, although it didn't seem like she was completely sure of herself. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

"No reason," he responded.

After a few more prolonged minutes of awkward silence, Percy realized that she wasn't going to speak again and decided to continue. "Why are you here, Piper?"

She paused at his question. Turning away, a shaky smile graced her face as she clenched the fabric of her pants in a tight grip. As she remained silent, Percy thought he could make out the twinkling of tears in her eyes.

"It's just all so much to take in," she started. Percy could sense that she had more to say, and so he kept quiet.

"Annabeth explained that my memories aren't real. She said that something called the mist had something to do with it."

Percy nodded his head lightly. "It would make sense."

She turned her head fully towards him, and he felt his heart skip when he noticed the tear sliding down her cheek.

"I still don't understand how something that I know happened, just… didn't."

Percy didn't know what to say. He had never dealt with anything like this before. But before he could even begin to speak, Piper continued.

"Do you know what really happened?"

Hedge's warning rang through his mind. Despite wanting nothing more than to reverse the change, the threat of the gods looming above made him hold his tongue. Hestia had warned him of something big happening, and if he did anything to endanger the plan that the gods had set in place, he had no doubt that he would pay.

Percy frowned as he realized what he needed to do.

"I don't know, Piper," he finally answered, doing his best to ignore the way her breath shuddered as she sighed.

"B-But…" she sighed, her voice wavering. "It just doesn't make any sense..."

Percy remained silent as her voice faded away. He resisted the urge to say something else and kept quiet, only watching as she turned away once again. He carefully placed a hand on her shoulder but frowned when she stiffened at his touch.

"You will figure it out eventually," he spoke, "When you do, I have no doubt that everyone will be there to help."

She sniffed and wiped a hand across her cheek as she turned back towards him and glanced at the hand on her shoulder. Despite the rubbing, the makeup on her face remained perfect. "You know, I think that half of the Aphrodite cabin would want to fight you for putting a wrinkle in this dress."

Percy could feel the corner of his lips curling up in a smile. From what he had seen from her, he was sure that Aphrodite herself would smite him for such offense.

"How are your siblings?" he questioned.

She shrugged her shoulders, "Good, for the most part." she started, fiddling with one of the gold ribbons in her hair. "Drew is awful though."

"Why is that?"

Another shrug, although this time he could make out the annoyed look on her face. "She just acts like she's the best and bosses everyone around. She even has a pair of shoes that she forces people to wear as punishment!"

At the end, she had thrown her arms up in the air for emphasis. But with a sigh, she let them drop back down to the bench.

"I don't know," she continued, "Out of all the cabins I visited with Annabeth, Aphrodite just seemed like the last possibility."

Percy nodded his head, "I admit… I agree with you there."

Piper looked at him with a deadpan expression, any sign of her having cried being non-existent. "Thanks."

He let out a nervous chuckle and ran a hand through his hair. It was becoming hard to keep this conversation going. "Did you find anything else interesting?"

She seemed to ponder his question for a moment before reaching around her waist. Pushing the folds of the dress out of the way, he was finally able to make out a dagger hanging in a sheath around her waist. The dress had done a good job at hiding it from his eyes.

"Annabeth took me to the weapons shed. She showed me a couple of different options, but I think this one fit me the best."

Holding out his hand, Percy silently asked for the dagger, which she promptly supplied him with. It was well balanced, and while its blade was no longer than his forearm, the metal gleamed and glistened under the sun. As he looked closely, he was even able to make out his reflection in the metal.

He hummed in confirmation, handing the blade back to Piper. "It is a good blade."

"That's what Annabeth said as well," she replied, "It's called Katoptris. Apparently, it used to belong to the Helen of Troy."

"I think you find more use out of it then Helen probably did." He had heard the tale of Troy plenty of times in his life. Both when the event was taking place, and after. It was a sore subject for Aphrodite for plenty of years, and he remembered some of the temper tantrums she would throw on Olympus when the topic was brought up. As a result, Ares would be in an even grumpier mood those days, leading to plenty of bruises and scars for Percy.

"Maybe," she paused, finally letting go of the golden ribbons, "From how she is acting, Annabeth seems to think that something is going to happen. And during the brief moments I have spoken with Chiron, he seems to avoid the subject entirely. Do you think that something will?"

She seemed to be looking away at the camp, but it was clear to him that her attention was fully on him, as if judging his reaction to the question. "I'm not sure Piper, why do you ask?"

Something flashed in her eyes, but before he could determine what, she turned her head away. He took notice of her clenched fist and the way her breath hitched but decided to make no comment on it.

"No reason," she replied shortly.

Percy knew there was more, but if she didn't want to continue, then he wouldn't push it. He knew that with the realization of her memories being scrambled, there was a lot on her mind. And learning the truth about her mother along with the entirety of the hidden Greek world certainly had not helped.

A horn sounded in the distance, making the immortal and demigod turn towards the direction it sounded from. The tension seemed to leave her body, and she relaxed as she turned towards him. "That would be the signal for breakfast," Piper said, pushing herself off the bench.

Percy nodded his head. "Aye."

Turning back towards him, she gave him a light smile. "I'll talk to you later?" she asked, earning a nod from the boy.

With a small wave of her hand, she made her way out of the Amphitheatre and into camp. Percy remained rooted in his spot in a moment before sighing and quickly following.

* * *

As he entered the Big House only to find both Chiron and Jason both staring at him nothing short of an annoyed expression, Percy realized that he should have knocked.

It was sometime after midday, and after Piper left him at the campfire, he had kept himself busy by strolling around camp. He had encountered quite a few demigods, and while most seemed to leave him be, he had spent some time with two Hermes twins. They had spent a rather uneventful twenty-minute period trying to show him how to do something called a dab… Which he still didn't get.

"Sorry," he spoke.

The centaur let out a light sigh before shaking his head. "Don't be Perseus. I would be more concerned if it was one of the other campers walking in."

Chiron turned back towards Jason, patting his shoulder lightly. "We can continue our conversation later."

Jason seemed like he wanted to argue but relented under the man's gaze. He had just barely taken a step towards the couch before the door was thrown open, and three figures rushed in.

It was easy for Percy to recognize Annabeth, even if her blond hair was a mess and glistening with sweat. He didn't recognize the figure beside her, although he was quickly able to make out the striking red hair that was sticking out from under the hood of her cloak.

Turning to the figure being held up in their arms, his heart skipped when he noticed Piper's unconscious form. She didn't look injured, but as she was gently placed on the couch, she let out a moan.

"What happened?" Chiron demanded, rushing over to the girl, with Percy and Jason following suit.

"I-I don't know," Annabeth panted, "One second she was fine, the next-"

"What do you mean you don't know?" Jason practically yelled, placing a hand on Piper's forehead, "She's ice cold!"

Chiron turned towards Annabeth, "Hurry! Go get an-"

He was interrupted when the red-haired girl spoke, ripping Percy's eyes away from Jason's hand that was laying atop Piper's head.

"I-I think," she interrupted, hugging herself tightly, "I think I killed her."

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> It was a bit shorter than usual, since I ended up splitting this chapter into two parts. Since being at Camp Half-Blood takes up around 180 pages in the book, I figured four chapters about Camp would be fine.
> 
> Also, I am looking for a beta reader for this story. If you are interested and would like to converse more about it, shoot me a PM!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter – PFWriting! I post all live updates on my stories there.
> 
> Thanks for all the follows, favorites, and reviews (TheFiction101, A Anonymous Guy, Guest, OverLordRevan, Guest 2, Finary Lane, TheW1nterKing, Halariel, Guest 3, Guest 4) I appreciate it!


	12. Chapter 12

****Chapter 12** **

Percy whipped towards the red-haired girl with wide eyes, a terrified look in his eyes. “What do you mean?” he demanded.

The girl took a wary step back, putting some space between herself and the god. “I-I don’t know,” she stuttered, “I think it was a prophecy. I can never remember when the oracle takes over.”

“Rachel’s right,” Annabeth spoke, making Percy turn towards her, “It must have been something do to with a prophecy. Something involving Hera.”

Percy shook his head, he didn’t understand. “What does Hera have to do with Piper?!”

“I don’t know!” the redhead, Rachel, replied, her voice rising. “I already told you that I don’t remember!”

“Guys!” Jason yelled, drawing all their attention back to him. Chiron stood by his side, uncorking a bottle of golden liquid. “Can you stop arguing for now and focus on the problem at hand? Piper should be our first concern!”

Trying to ignore the guilty feeling that began to grow within him, Percy moved towards Piper. He did his best to ignore the way her breath hitched and the beads of sweat that poured down her forehead, choosing to look up at Chiron instead. “Is there anything you can do?”

The centaur ignored him, gently prying the girl’s lips open before pouring some of the golden liquid into her mouth. He kept his eyes on the bottle the entire time, mumbling something under his breath before tilting the bottle back and popping the cork back in.

“That should be enough nectar for now.” Chiron spoke, handing the closed bottle to Annabeth. “Let that settle and we will see if she should have some more later.”

Percy pressed his lips together and remained quiet. Turning away from Chiron, he turned back to Piper. Her breathing seemed to have settled a bit, which sent a wave of relief through him. Although Jason keeping his hand on her head was beginning to annoy him.

Before he was able to do anything about it though, Annabeth spoke up. “Let’s go outside. So that we don’t accidentally wake her up.”

Chiron and Rachel quickly followed her, with Jason turning towards them. The demigod sent an uncertain look towards Percy, but quickly followed, only pausing one last time to glance back at Piper.

Annabeth poked her head back into the room, staring at Percy with her serious, gray eyes. “Are you coming?”

He felt torn. A piece of him wanted to go with the rest, to try and figure out what caused all of this, but the other side of him didn’t want to leave Piper’s side. But after a moment, he nodded his head.

“Yeah,” he sighed.

Stepping outside, he gently shut the door behind him. Chiron and Jason were already discussing something with Rachel standing nearby.

“This can’t be taken lightly,” Chiron spoke, glancing at Percy as he walked over. “Two signs in one day isn’t something to be ignored.”

“Two?”

Jason nodded, “I had a dream.”

“Will there be a quest?” Annabeth questioned.

Chiron nodded his head in dismay. “I would have to think so,” he sighed, placing a hand on his forehead. “Right when the gods went dark, too.”

“Piper and Jason seem like the obvious choice.” Annabeth spoke, turning towards Percy. “I would’ve said Perseus as well, but he can’t for obvious reasons.”

Chiron nodded his head, deep in thought. But Jason turned towards Percy and looked at him with a curious gaze. “So, you are a god?”

Percy nodded, eliciting a huff of disbelief from the boy. He narrowed his eyes, “What?”

Jason just shook his head and held his hands up in a placating manner. “Nothing, it’s just hard to imagine you being a god. You just don’t seem like much.”

Chiron turned back at Jason’s words, his eyes widening slightly. “Jason, I would be-“

“Then again, with how much Piper seems to talk about you, she makes it seem like you are the greatest being in existence."

Percy’s eyes widened, his earlier annoyance being replaced by shock. “She’s mentioned me?”

Jason nodded, “It’s nothing serious, she just mentions you from time to time. It doesn’t really seem like she means to either, but it just slips out when she talks about her time at the school.”

Percy’s widened, and he felt his cheeks redden as the rest of the group turned towards him.

“That’s… A good point,” Annabeth started, hands on her hips. “Why were you there anyway? I’ve never heard of a god attending school before.”

All eyes were on him, even Rachel’s. He ran a hand through his hair and stated, “I was protecting Piper.”

“Protecting her?” Annabeth questioned, “In what way?”

Percy shrugged his shoulders slightly, “Just from anything.”

Annabeth still seemed a bit confused but didn’t push any farther. They turned back towards Chiron when he spoke, waving his hand.

“Never mind that. Jason needs to find a third member to accompany him on the quest before consulting the oracle.”

At the mention of the boy, they turned to him, making him blush lightly.

“I… What about Leo?”

“Leo?” Annabeth asked, “The new Hephaestus camper?”

Jason nodded his head. “He was with us when all this began. It would make sense.”

The group turned towards Chiron, who seemed to ponder over the suggestion. “I think that would be best.”

“If you want, I’ll go get him.” Annabeth spoke up, receiving a nod from Chiron.

As Annabeth ran off, Chiron quickly pulled Jason off to the side and whispered something to him. Once he finished, Chiron waved Rachel over to him and the pair stepped back inside the Big House, quietly walking into one of the back rooms.

“Jason will attempt to consult the oracle for a prophecy.” Chiron spoke, trotting over to Percy. The older man placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a light pat.

“I do however, request that you remain here for the meantime.”

Percy wanted to argue with the centaur. It was his goal to protect Piper, and he wanted to do that no matter what. But after a moment, he relented, pushing those thoughts of away. While he wanted to accompany the three on their quest, he knew that he couldn’t. As soon as they left it was out of his control.

“That’s fine.” Percy replied.

Chiron could see the conflict in the god’s eyes, making him frown. “There are plenty of demigods here who could use the guidance of a god. Especially since there has been no contact from Olympus.”

“I don’t know how much advice I would have for them.” Percy clenched his fist. “From what I have seen, many of them don’t really seem to care for me.”

Chiron shook his head. “That’s not true, Perseus. It took a while for many of them to recover after the war, and seeing you again just reminded them of what they lost.”

Percy remained silent. After a moment, he just stepped away and moved over to the door, grasping the handle. “I’m going to go wait with Piper.” he spoke, “You can call me if I am needed.”

He opened the door and made his way inside, ignoring the brief call of protest from Chiron. As the door shut behind him, Chiron only sighed and placed his hand on his head, brows furrowing. Things only seemed to get crazier every day.

* * *

It took an hour, but eventually Piper awoke gasping and heaving for breath. Percy fumbled to get her some water, but eventually managed to steady his shaking hands and poor the drink. Once she gulped it down to sooth her aching throat, she sighed in relief.

“Thank you,” she croaked, her voice raspy. “It felt like there was a weight lying on my chest.”

Percy remained quiet, running a hand through his hair. Looking up at her, he noticed that her forehead was drenched with sweat and the cup was trembling in her hands. He could make out the unease in her expression, telling him that something had happened while she had been asleep.

“Do you feel alright?”

She nodded her head in response. “Y-Yeah.”

Silence permeated the air. With Piper taking little sips of the water every so often, and Percy anxiously sitting in his chair. But eventually, Piper put down the water and turned back to him.

“What happened to me?”

“We think that it had something to do with a prophecy.” he started, “Jason had a dream as well. If he received a prophecy, he has chosen you to accompany him on the quest.”

Piper’s brows furrowed. “Quest?”

“When a demigod receives a prophecy from the Oracle, they are chosen to lead a quest.” he explained. “To fulfill the prophecy.”

She seemed to accept his explanation. “Would you be joining us?”

He shook his head. “The gods are not allowed to interfere with the lives of demigods.”

“Why is that?”

“I don’t know. The laws were created before I was born.”

“Who would join us then?”

Percy shrugged, “Probably Leo.”

She remained silent after that, fiddling with the blanket in her lap. Percy could only watch her as seeing the distress in her eyes left him speechless. Once more he found himself wanting to help, but he wasn’t sure how.

“I had a dream.” Piper suddenly spoke sitting up on the couch and knocking him out of his thoughts.

“What about?”

She paused. “It-It was Hera I think. She was trapped. She wanted me to free her. But she mentioned the earth swallowing us, and a fiery one, and something about the solstice.”

Percy’s eyes widened, and his heart fell. Something like that didn’t bode well, especially the part about the earth.

“I see.” he began, trying to ignore the hitch in his voice. “I would tell Chiron about that later.”

If she heard him, she didn’t acknowledge it. “Then there was my father…” she trailed. “Are the dreams real?”

Percy thought about it for a moment. “It’s complicated, Piper. Especially for demigods.”

“In what way?”

“They can be used as a method of receiving a prophecy. Or predicting the future, but they often aren’t good.”

“I-I guess I understand,” she muttered, pulling the blanket up to her chin and lying back in the bed. “It just all seemed so real.”

Percy could feel his dread growing. “Like I said, Piper, I’m just not sure. Dreams are a bit complicated for us.”

“But…” she faltered, sighing. “I don’t know.”

Once more, he didn’t know what to say. She lay there in silence, clearly lost in her thoughts. While she was staring across the room, he could tell that she really wasn’t paying attention to the giant moose on the wall.

“Do you want to talk to Annabeth about it?” he questioned, beginning to stand, “I could go get her for you.”

His words seemed to knock her out of her thoughts, and before he could get far she leapt forward to grab onto his wrist. “No!” she exclaimed, startling him with the sudden action. “Don’t… Don’t do that. I just need time to think.”

He slowly sat down again in the seat, watching as she settled back down on the edge of the couch. She picked up the blanket that had fallen on the floor and placed it over her legs.

“What was the dream about?”

She paused at his question. “I’m not sure I want to discuss it.”

Percy knew that it was a lie. She had never been good at trying to hide the truth from him. And the uncertain look in her eyes and the fidgeting of her fingers didn’t help to convince him.

He slumped back further in his chair. Despite continuously wanting to help, he couldn’t do anything if she didn’t tell him what was wrong. But he also guessed that her altered memories probably had something to do with her hesitance.

She let out a yawn, covering her mouth with her hand. Snuggling deeper into her pillow, her hands fell limp and he could see her trying to blink and keep herself awake.

“Relax, Piper.” he spoke. “I haven’t heard anything from Chiron or Jason, and this took a lot out of you. I’ll wake you up if anything happens.”

Piper nodded her head sleepily, the frown on her face turning to a smile briefly.

“Alright.”

* * *

Stepping out of the Big House a few hours later, the first thing that Percy noticed was the gigantic bronze dragon sitting on the lawn. Leo sat on top of it, crazily waving towards him with a smile stretched across his face.

“Hey guys! Look what I found!”

The dragon let out a roar, startling some of the satyrs and demigods who had been watching. Chiron just shook his head and looked about ready to give up. Percy felt a bit bad for the centaur. He was sure that occurrences like this were normal when dealing with a camp full of demigods.

Percy felt someone grab his shoulder, and he turned around to meet the tired eyes of Piper.

“What’s all the co-“

She cut herself off before she could finish the sentence. In an instant the sleepiness in her eyes was gone, replaced by a look of seriousness. Turning back to the dragon, he watched as she stepped pass him, walking up to the feet of the dragon.

“Leo?” she questioned, a sickly-sweet tone in her voice that almost made Percy shiver. “What is this?”

The boy let out a laugh from on top of the dragon. “What do you mean?!” he exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air. “I got us our method of transportation!”

“Transportation?”

“Well, yeah!” Leo patted the bronze machines head. “Although don’t call him that too often. He can be a bit sensitive at times.”

The machine let out a few whimpers as it ducked its head down. Leo just gave it a few more pats and whispered sympathetically.

“His name is Festus!” Leo continued once the dragon was soothed, “I fixed him up! Now he’ll be able to take us wherever we want to go!”

“Go?” Piper questioned, turning away from the giant bronze dragon and crazy teen on top. “Are you talking about the quest?”

“Yes.” Another voice spoke, making the centaur, god, and demigods turn towards the source.

Jason stood beside Annabeth and Rachel, with Annabeth supporting Rachel by her shoulders. His was flipping a gold coin in his right hand, but from what Percy could see, it didn’t look like a Drachma.

“I received a prophecy. And you two will accompany me.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed feel free to leave a comment letting me know what you thought!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter - PFWriting if you want live updates on my writing or status! I also have a Discord server open! Link is on my profile!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Percy's relationship with the Romans was…Interesting, to say the least.

He didn't hold the same hatred Athena did towards their kind, but it was far from ideal. Just like the rest of the Greek Pantheon, when Rome Hellenized they created a counterpart for him as well.

To the Greeks, he was Perseus: the Gatekeeper and Guardian of Olympus. But to the Romans, he was nothing more than a son of Neptune and Terra. They hadn't even bothered 'revising' a new version of him. Instead, a new god took his place as the Gatekeeper spoken in the ancient Roman myths. Terminus, God of Boundaries, along with the Protector of the Territory of Rome had received his title.

He wasn't particularly spiteful towards them for believing in another god. It wasn't as if they didn't acknowledge him or his past, but it led to him having no real ties to the Romans. He had probably stepped foot in Roman territory only once, and that was only because he had mistaken Neptune for his father.

So, when Chiron told him to make his way to someplace known as the Wolf House, he really had no idea what to expect.

Over the past week, he had been assigned by Chiron to help with some of the sword fighting classes at camp. It did nothing to settle his racing mind, however, as he spent most of the time worrying over the quest anyway. Well, worrying more about Piper than anything else.

He had received no word from them since they'd left camp—which wasn't entirely surprising—but it did nothing to soothe his racing thoughts.

Yet, pushing through the underbrush of the forest, he couldn't help but feel as if something was terribly wrong. He hadn't been there to hear the prophecy himself, and despite trying to contact his father numerous times, there had been no reply. The only upside to the week had been Riptide returning to him. It was out of the blue. A few mornings ago, he awoke to find the blade awaiting him on his end table in pen form.

He had to be close now. Chiron had reassured him that Camp Jupiter was located just outside a polis called San Francisco, and the Wolf House wouldn't be too far away. The whole situation would've been simpler if he had just teleported over, but the centaur had pleaded for him to save his energy.

It didn't help that he had no clue where anything was. The trickiest part of the journey was attempting to find a way to cross the country. Chiron had helped him with that, calling in a favor from a naiad. Being a son of Poseidon had helped to convince the spirit as well, and before he knew what had happened, he was dropped off on the shoreline in some place known as California.

With only a handful of vague instructions from Chiron and directional advice accumulated after asking many, many people for guidance, he eventually made his way to the outskirts of Sonoma. Now he just had to find this Wolf House, and then he could return home and wait for Piper… and others in the questing group to return.

An explosion suddenly shook the earth beneath him. He momentarily lost his balance, grabbing onto a nearby tree for support. Smoke immediately enveloped his nostrils, and he shifted in the direction the explosion had sounded from. In the distance, flames were billowing up into the sky. He wasted no time, beginning to run forward.

A roar grabbed his attention first, and without hesitation, he began running towards its source. He stumbled into a clearing, with chaos reigning all around him. An old, torn down wooden and stone building sat in the center, where he noticed Jason fighting a giant outside. The son of Jupiter was attempting to avoid the tree that the giant was swinging around wildly. Around the perimeter, the Hunters of Artemis were attempting to provide support for the demigod, but their arrows couldn't do much against the giant.

From within the Wolf House, he could hear some yelling, which he could already tell came from Leo and Piper. Relief washed through him. At least she was safe for the time being. He stepped forward, withdrawing the pen from his pocket before flicking off the cap. Anaklusmos' glow alone garnered the attention of the rest of the fighters in the clearing.

"Percy?" Jason questioned, momentarily glancing away from the giant.

When the giant swung his arm down, taking advantage of the distraction by attempting to squash Jason with the tree, Percy jumped forward. He blocked the blow with Anaklusmos before grabbing Jason's arm and pulling him out of the reach of the giant. The Hunters took this as their sign to continue, as they resumed peppering the giant with arrows. As he turned towards Jason, he was quickly pushed away.

"What are you doing here," Jason hissed, "You are not supposed to interfere!"

Percy glanced at the giant, who seemed to be just be watching them with a smug look etched across his disgusting face. "I was sent here by Chiron. I didn't know why, but obviously he sent me to help."

Jason looked miffed, before starting back towards the giant. "We don't need your help. We have the quest under control."

"Jason, tell me, do you know how to kill a giant?"

The boy paused, and Percy continued. "The only way to kill one of the Gigantes is when a god and demigod work together. Otherwise, they can't be killed."

"That's why I'm—"

Percy was interrupted by the giant's booming laughter. The being had his arms around his midsection, as his body trembled while he leaned back. "You're not wrong, brother! You're not wrong! But there is a slight error in your plan."

Percy stepped beside Jason, who only glanced at him warily before looking at the giant.

"You are no god. Not anymore. Not since you had your domains taken from you by your father."

Percy froze, the blood draining from his face. Everyone—even the Hunters of Artemis—seemed to be watching him. Jason even leaned closer to him, whispering. "What does he mean?"

He didn't reply, only watching the giant in front of him continue his laughter. "Don't you see, brother? We have been watching over you for a long time. Mother had taken quite an interest in you, and she knows that you have questions for her."

The giant raised his arms out in front of him, waving Percy towards him. "Join us, brother. Mother can give you back your power, and then some. You will no longer have to hide yourself in that Greek Camp and bow down to those Olympians. Mother is angry at the gods for what they did to you, and with her help, you can have your revenge. We can have our revenge."

Percy's eyes never left the giant. He wasn't considering the offer—he never would—but the comments about his power made his thoughts race. What did his mother know? Had his father been keeping something from him? They were overwhelming, and he found himself frozen until he noticed a flash shine from within the Wolf House.

As he turned to look, Piper suddenly came running out, with Leo in hot pursuit. Not only that, Percy was quick to notice Hera not trailing far behind, and when she noticed the giant, her features became enraged. The giant took a hesitant step back, promptly dropping the tree onto the ground. Jason took a step forward beside him, raising his sword once more as he prepared to charge the giant.

"This won't be the last you see of me," the giant laughed, before turning towards Percy. "If you ever want to contact Mother, you already know how."

With those final words, he sunk into the ground, the last thing Percy seeing was the giant's taunting smirk. When the last of his head disappeared into the earth, a silence fell over the clearing. None of the hunters, nor the demigods spoke. Even Hera just stood watching the spot the giant had stood in as she rubbed her wrists.

After a moment, Hera turned away from the giant's spot and looked towards them. "Come, heroes," she spoke, holding her arms out and waving them towards her. "You have done well."

Jason and the Hunters moved forward, but Percy hung back. The clearing was devastated, with debris and rubble from the Wolf House littering the ground everywhere. The earth where the giant had sunk through was destroyed, with the crater being the only sign that a giant had been there. One of the Hunters stood by the edge, staring down into it.

"Against the odds, you have rescued me from that prison. You have my thanks, demigods, and the gods shall commend you for your bravery."

Hera turned towards Percy, and he could have sworn that there was a quick flash of gold within her eyes. "But this war is far from over. This is only the beginning, and with the resurrection of the Gigantes, I can only fear that there will be far worse to come."

The goddess turned back to Jason, an eyebrow raising. "You did especially well, Jason Grace. Facing off against Porphyrion alone is a difficult task, even if he was weakened."

"And you two," she continued, turning towards Leo and Piper. Piper watched Hera with a straight face, and Percy couldn't tell if she was angry or bored. Leo, however, looked away, choosing rather to stare out into the forest. "You two completed the prophecy. Rescuing me from that cage was no easy task. You have my gratitude."

Hera paused for a moment, before turning towards Percy once again. "I shall aid you in your journey back home and leave under in Perseus' protection. Once my aid has completed, he will ensure your protection."

Percy didn't respond, but when Hera raised her hands, he took a step closer to the group. Realizing that he still had Anaklusmos still grasped tightly in his hand, he recapped the pen and deposited it in his pocket. "Everyone, close your eyes."

He ensured that everyone had done so and sent a quick nod towards Hera. She gave him a long look, with her arms still high in the air.  _I know that my sister has spoken with you._ He cringed as he heard her voice ring within his mind.  _You must watch over the demigods on their quest. You have a more important role in this war than any of the other Olympians may realize._

With that, she withdrew from his mind, and he sighed in relief. Before he could respond, she snapped her fingers. The forest around them disappeared in a golden flash and they were once again back in the streets of New York. Leo and Piper immediately lurched to one side, emptying the contents of their stomach. Jason looked a little queasy, but no worse for wear.

All of them quickly rushed into a nearby alley, ignoring the strange looks they received from the people walking around them. There was a mortal asleep in the corner, tucked in between two dumpsters, but he didn't stir when they entered. The Hunters quickly grouped together once again. One of them, who wore a tiara, took a step towards him and bowed her head.

"Gatekeeper." She curtsied slightly. "I will take the Hunters back to Camp Half-Blood. We shall remain there while Lady Artemis is…indisposed."

He nodded his head. "Chiron will be happy to have you."

She smirked lightly, "But the campers won't."

With that, she turned away and waved a hand. She ran into the darkness of a nearby alley, with the other dozen or so girls quickly following behind. None of them offered any further words, and after a few seconds, he was alone with the three demigods. Piper was leaning against the wall with her forearm, panting lightly while Jason stood beside Leo patting his back. The latino seemed to have had it worse than Piper.

Percy took a step closer to Piper, who looked up at him warily as he approached. She glanced down at the ground momentarily, allowing for her hair to fall in front of her face. When she looked at him again, he could see the conflict shining in her eyes. "Percy…" she breathed.

He resisted the sudden urge to brush the hair away that hung in front of her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

Piper let out a low chuckle, looking away once again. "I've been better, I suppose." She eased herself away from the wall. "I've never been teleported by a goddess before."

"You'll get used to it, eventually."

Piper raised an eyebrow. "You say that like I should expect this to happen often."

Percy spluttered, fumbling over his next words as Piper laughed. She lightly punched his shoulder, and he felt relieved to see a bit of her old personality shining through. "I'm just messing with you."

A cough garnered their attention, and they both turned to look at an irate Jason. "You both done? We have better things to be doing than just messing around."

Piper seemed a bit miffed at his comment but didn't respond. When Percy stepped forward, he noticed her step a bit closer to him out of the corner of his eye. He didn't think much of it, however. Leo stood up beside Jason, patting the blonde's shoulder.

"Chill, man." Leo grinned cheekily, pointing a finger in a random direction. "It's time to head back to camp and report our success!"

Percy pointed in another direction. "The camp is that way."

"That way! To camp! Yes!" Leo shouted, adjusting his hand to point in the right direction.

Piper shook her head beside him, and when Percy looked over, she offered him a small smile. He wasn't sure what, but something still seemed off.

"C'mon," she stated, nudging his arm and stepping in front of him. She turned towards Leo, motioning him forward. "Lead the way, oh mighty leader."

Leo puffed out his chest, placing his hands on his hips and deepening his voice. "Captain McShizzle shall lead the way. Don't you worry."

Jason sighed, shaking his head wearily and Percy just watched their interaction. Despite not knowing what they had gone through prior to the meeting at the Wolf House, he was happy to see that they had remained the same for the most part. Although that nagging feeling in the back of his head refused to fade, and as he watched Piper's retreating form, he couldn't help but feel that he was missing something important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's Chapter 13! Thanks for your patience! Merry late Christmas and Happy Holidays.
> 
> Huge thanks to my beta VCRx for the help! If you haven't already, make sure you go check out his stories!
> 
> Sorry, this took so long. My grandmother passed away suddenly recently and it really put a damper on my will to write until recently. Things are settling down a bit now after the funeral, and so I have resumed my writing!
> 
> If you haven't already, feel free to check out my Twitter PFWriting! There you can contact me or get updates on my current status!


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The trip back to camp had been a silent one despite Percy's attempts at a conversation. Piper had remained withdrawn the entire time. When they had finally arrived at camp, she immediately left for her cabin without a word. Jason had quickly followed suit, leaving for Zeus' cabin, but not before shooting Percy a nasty look—one that he still didn't understand the context of.

That just left Leo, who—despite the distant attitudes of his fellow demigods—had been more than happy to converse with him. One thing had led to another, and Percy eventually found himself sitting in the depths of Bunker 9 listening to the son of Hephaestus endlessly chatter about the various projects he was working on.

"Oh! Oh! Here it is! I finally found it!"

Percy dropped the wrench that he had been fiddling with back on the tool bench and turned back to the hyperactive teen. Leo was standing next to a large wooden crate half his height, trying to wedge a crowbar under the lid to pry it open.

When it seemed like he was never going to get it, Percy quietly sighed before walking over and holding out his hand. "Let me try."

Leo grinned cheekily, plopping the tool in his hand. "Totally! Nothing like some godly strength to get the job done!"

Percy shook his head and jammed the end under the lid. Using the tool brought him back to a few months ago when Leo had given him a tour of the Wilderness School's workshop. During that little excursion, Leo had taught him all about the different tools that he liked to use. It had been intriguing to see all of the different tools and gadgets that the mortals had invented. The majority of the gods on Olympus preferred sticking to the old ways of zapping things into place.

With a quick jerk, the lid popped off, and Leo wasted no time by pushing past him to look in the box. He practically squealed at the contents. "Festus!"

Percy didn't even have enough time to question him before Leo pulled out the bronze dragon's large head. The automation whirred softly, dipping his head down from within Leo's grasp. When he turned towards the latino with a questioning gaze, the boy just chuckled quietly.

"Yeah… We had a bit of an accident during the quest. Poor Festus here had much of his body destroyed. It's why we couldn't just fly back."

The dragon's head cooed softly, dipping down as much as its neck allowed as Leo petted his head delicately. "Don't worry, buddy. I'll get you fixed up soon."

Percy simply watched the two in slight bewilderment as the two conversed. He had initially come along to question the younger boy about what had happened on the quest, but had quickly found himself drawn into the son of Hephaestus' antics. Leo had energy unlike any other he'd met before, besides maybe Apollo. That guy was always radiating energy… literally.

"Leo, I have a few questions to ask you."

Leo turned back to him, withdrawing a wrench from his tool belt. "You want to know about what happened on the quest."

It wasn't a question, and Percy just nodded his head in reply. "Yes."

Leo let out a long, drawn out sigh as he began unscrewing one side of the dragon's head. The Latino seemed to consider his words before beginning, "We first flew up north like how the prophecy thingy told us to and met with the god of Boring, who seemed to hate everyone except for Piper. I guess it helped that she could speak French."

Leo frowned, turning towards him. "After that, we had a run-in with some cyclops in Detroit—who're apparently not immune to two-ton pieces of machinery landing on top of them. Then, we hid in a sewer for a while—I cooked tacos for all of us—and Jason and I ended up almost killing each other over some magical perfume. After that, King Midas shot us down with some kind of laser defense system; we got turned into golden statues, blah blah blah. Long story short, we learned that our enemies are working for Gaea. They even mentioned you, I think."

Percy swallowed. If he had to guess, his half-siblings probably hadn't had anything good to say to him. He had only spoken to them once in his life, and that was during the first war against the Gigantes. After he had pledged his allegiance to the Olympians, that had been that: he was their enemy. Granted, he never directly fought against them. The war had for the most part taken place on mortal lands and he had been forbidden from leaving Olympus.

"Around the same time, we discovered where they were keeping Hera kidnapped. That's how we went to the Wolf House and ended up fighting the giant dude."

Percy nodded and Leo went back to fiddling with Festus' head. His story made sense. It also explained why Chiron sent him there as well. There was no way that they could fight the giant alone: not without the aid of a god. While they hadn't defeated him, it sure made the giant wary of future encounters.

"What did they say about me?"

"Not much," Leo shrugged, pulling a blowtorch out of his tool belt. "Just mentioned your name here and there for the most part…Oh! Something about you needing to understand something, I think. Much of it was just mumbo jumbo all mixed together. You should ask Jason or Piper. They might have heard more than me."

Grumbling quietly, Percy leaned back against the wall and ran a hand through his hair. There was no reason for him to be interested in what his half-siblings needed to say to him. None. Yet, despite reminding himself so, he couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling in his stomach that pushed him to see what they had to say.

It's not like he would be able to anytime soon, however. With Olympus on lockdown and with him having no idea when the Gigantes might try to make another return, there wasn't much he could do. The last time he had spoken to his father, the sea god had made it plenty clear that asking him about those kind of questions would get him nowhere. It was up to him to figure it out for himself.

His thoughts briefly turned back to Piper and the distance she had put between her and him. In the few months he had spent with the mortals, he had never felt so lost as he did right now. Even when she had been with Jason, there were still plenty of times where they had spent time together.

"What about Piper, why was she acting that way?"

Leo gave him an odd look. "She was fine for most of the quest, but towards the end something changed. We did realize that our memories of Jason were fake, but it seemed like something else was bothering her."

"What do you mean?" Percy beckoned.

The elvish-looking boy shrugged, before yelping when his finger got caught on a piece of Festus. The dragon whirred apologetically as Leo began to suck on his finger. "I can be oblivious at times, but it was pretty obvious."

Percy waited for him to continue, but it seemed like Leo thought that was enough to say. After a minute of silence, Leo glanced back at him while still sucking his finger. His finger slid out of his mouth with a  _POP._ "Sorry. I forgot about you being a couple-thousand-year-old god that was stuck on Olympus and never meeting us mortals. It has to do with you and Jason," Leo paused. "Also, have you seriously never had a taco before?"

"Huh?"

"Tacos. You looked confused when I mentioned them."

Percy blinked. "That's some mortal food, isn't it?"

"Que?! Just some mortal food?!" Leo raised his blowtorch in exasperation. "I didn't hear that. It's not just any type of mortal food! It's perfection in a shell! One cannot live without eating a taco!"

Ignoring Leo's comments about these 'tacos', Percy questioned the boy further. "What do you mean? What about Jason and I?"

Leo just sighed, drooping back to a more normal stance and waving the torch's flame around in a circle. "I don't think it's my place to tell. You'll just have to ask her or figure it out yourself."

Percy's face fell as he considered the boy's words. He needed to figure out what was wrong with Piper, but he had no clue where to start. He could try badger Jason, but the son of Jupiter seemed to despise him. To be fair, he didn't find the boy too favorable either, but perhaps if he tried to be a bit friendlier… He guessed he now had two things he had to figure out himself.

He thanked Leo, who just waved his hand dismissively towards the god.

Percy quickly made his way out of the bunker and through the forest. Even from out here he could hear the shouts and yells from the campers. Since the three had returned from their quest, the demigods had doubled their training routine. He couldn't blame them. They had just gone through one war and were already being thrust into the next.

"Perseus."

He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of his name, but there was nothing but more trees and bushes. A squirrel ran by his foot, chittering loudly. When he turned to look in the opposite direction, there was just the more of the same.

"Perseus, over here."

A person suddenly materialized in front of him, and he jumped back. He instinctively reached for his sword but calmed when he noticed that it was only Annabeth.

"Sorry," she muttered, tucking the baseball cap in her back pocket. "You're the first god to not notice me. Even Chiron can pick up when I'm using the cap now."

Percy scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, well, it's kind of difficult seeing as how I've lost most of my abilities."

Annabeth hummed in affirmation. They had grown closer during the time the three were on the quest. She had been the only one to approach him and offer to talk, while the rest of the campers ignored him for the most part. It must have had to do with the fact that they had fought Kronos together momentarily on Olympus during the last war, so perhaps he had earned her respect.

Whatever the reasoning, he didn't mind. It was better to talk rather than fight, which that one daughter of Ares seemed to want way too much.

"How was the quest?" Annabeth inquired, walking alongside him as he started walking once more. It was a strange question to ask him. Did she mean how did the quest go, or how were the three that had been on the quest? He had only seen to the very end of the quest, so he assumed she was referring to the demigods.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "Piper and Jason haven't spoken to me yet, and I wasn't able to get much out of Leo...Only something that I'm not sure about the meaning of."

He noticed her glance out of the corner of his eye. "What do you mean?"

Percy ran a hand through his hair. "He said that Piper is acting weird because of Jason and me. I don't understand why though."

Percy had taken a few more steps before he noticed Annabeth had stopped. He turned to her and was met with a bewildered look. "Are you serious?"

Suddenly feeling defensive, Percy raised his hands. "It's just what Leo told me. I'm not sure if it's true or not. Besides, I don't even know why there would be an issue."

She shook her head and sighed, pressing her fingers into her forehead. "Never mind. I forgot how oblivious you are."

Percy ignored her comment. Leo had said the same thing. "Why would it be an issue?"

"Seriously, Perseus?"

He narrowed his brow. "I don't know what the problem is. Why won't you and Leo just tell me?"

"Go ask Piper," she replied, starting to walk again. He followed her in silence. It seemed that he had no other choice, but to go speak to Piper. However, he wasn't sure how easy that would be with her locking herself in her cabin.

"Perseus," Annabeth continued, garnering his attention once more. "I actually wanted to talk to you for a different reason."

He waved his hand, prompting her to continue. "Why?"

"Chiron and Rachel have informed me of some changes. They said they didn't know why they were happening."

Percy met her eyes, pausing at the intensity he found within. It didn't take long for him to guess what she was talking about. "It has to do with the prophecy?"

"Mhmm," she nodded, ducking to avoid a tree branch. "They think that it's changing. Something has altered the fate of the quest."

"In what way?"

"I'm not sure." She nibbled on her bottom lip and Percy had to force himself to move his eyes away. He found it adorable in a way. "They apparently think that it has something to do with you."

"Me? Why would the prophecy have anything to do with me? I'm a god. We aren't typically involved with such things."

Annabeth shrugged. "That's what we are trying to find out. It's why I'm here, actually."

"Where are Chiron and Rachel?" Percy questioned, stopping beside her when she halted. They stood next to a giant boulder on the edge of a cliff. It was a strange landmark; the boulder seemed to look like a gigantic fist.

He caught her eye when she glanced back at him. "I'm taking you to them. You need to meet with someone in the city."

"Who?"

"Her name is Sally Jackson," she pulled out a gold drachma from her pocket. "We've learned something that we need to share with you."

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience with this chapter. I hope you enjoyed, and are looking forward to reading more!
> 
> Huge thanks to my Beta VCRx! I don't think this chapter would be nearly as polished as it is without his help. Make sure you check out his stories as well if you haven't already!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter - PFWriting for updates on my projects!


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Percy followed Annabeth up the stairs in silence. With the aid of a fellow demigod named Nico, they had quickly found themselves standing outside of something called an apartment building. They were in downtown Manhattan, where the honking of cars and the smell of gas filled the air.

After making their way up the run-down staircase, Annabeth knocked lightly on a door. He watched as she rocked back and forth lightly on the heels of her feet. When she caught his eye, she just gave him a light nod.

When the door opened, he was immediately hit with a wonderful smell, although he couldn't tell what it was. An older woman stood on the other side of the door; her brown hair hung loose over her shoulders, and there were a few strands of graying hair that stood out. She offered a greeting, but immediately halted when her blue eyes met Percy's.

"Hello, Ms. Jackson," Annabeth offered.

Percy nodded his head, "Hello."

Their greeting seemed to knock the woman out of her shock, as she took a small step back and cleared her throat lightly. "Ah, A-Annabeth," she got out, although it didn't seem easy. "Who is this?"

"The Gatekeeper of Olympus. I'm sure you've heard of him before. His name is—"

"Perseus," Sally finished, her eyes never leaving his own. He wanted to question her on how she knew his name but couldn't force the words out of his throat. Something about her just seemed so… familiar. After a few moments of silence, she finally broke the contact and waved them into the apartment. "H-How rude of me. Please, come in."

As the woman turned back into the 'apartment,' Annabeth shared a quick glance with Percy. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, but from the suspicious look on her face, he knew that she thought something was up. If it weren't for the fact that Sally was waiting for them, he was sure that she would have begun questioning him right then and there.

They followed Sally through the small living room and into the even smaller kitchen. The wonderful smell grew even greater once he stepped through the threshold. Before he even knew what he was saying, he was already asking a question. "What's that smell?"

Sally smiled lightly, although it didn't quite reach her eyes as she picked up a mitt from the counter and sliding it over her hand. "I've just been baking some cookies."

She stepped over to the oven and pulled out the tray while Percy and Annabeth took a seat at the table. "You can have a few once they cool down."

Percy nodded, glancing momentarily at Annabeth before clearing his throat. "You are clear-sighted?"

"Y-Yes," Sally replied as she slid off her oven mitt and grabbed a spatula. She slowly began to peel the—oddly blue colored—cookies off the tray, placing them on a plate to the side. She took a moment before replying. "I have been for my entire life. It was confusing at first, but I quickly grew accustomed to it."

He didn't reply, and Annabeth took that as her queue to speak. "I mentioned before that I wanted you to meet someone," she began switching her suspicious gaze away from him to Sally. "However, it seems that you already know him."

Percy went to speak but was cut-off by Sally. "I don't  _know_ him. I've only heard  _of_  him."

She was putting a bit more force into removing the cookies from the tray now. He glanced up at her face, only to find her eyes glistening with fresh tears. Although it seemed that she was doing her best to hide them from the pair. "Why have you come here?"

"I had a couple of questions," Annabeth continued, seemingly picking up on the older woman's state. "We can come back another time if you wish."

"N-No," Sally sniffled, placing the spatula down. "It's fine. I just wasn't expecting…this."

Her blue eyes met his own, and Percy suddenly found himself following the tears that traced down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. It's just that you remind me so much of my son. O-Or at least…"

She faltered and looked back down at the cookies again. "What do you mean?" he questioned.

Annabeth nudged him roughly with her knee as Sally looked back at him with shining eyes. "I-I mean," Percy fumbled over his words while Annabeth's glare bore onto him. "Why do I remind you of your son?"

"You mean Annabeth hasn't told you?"

"No," Annabeth shook her head, her blond curls waving side to side. "I didn't. We came here for a different reason, after all."

"I-I see." Sally wiped some of the tears off her face. Grabbing the plate of cookies with one hand, she gave them both a light smile. "I suppose that now would be a good time to try out a cookie."

* * *

Biting into another one of Sally's 'chocolate chip cookies,' Percy felt like he was in heaven. He now understood why they had smelled so good while they were sitting in the kitchen. It shouldn't have been possible, but they even tasted a million times better than they smelled. But that wasn't even the strangest part…

Sally's cookies tasted exactly like nectar.

Nectar tasted different for everyone, supposedly tasting like their favorite food or drink, but Percy had never tasted something this good before. They even tasted better than the nectar he drank. It shouldn't have been possible for Sally to recreate it this well.

Nonetheless, Percy had to force himself to not start devouring the cookies at a rapid pace. Annabeth had given him a strange look when he had immediately downed five more after his first, but Sally had just chuckled. "I might have to make you some for the road," she said.

Now, they were seated in the living room. Annabeth and Percy sat next together on the long couch, while Sally sat across from them in a plush chair. The plate of cookies now lay on the table in between them, and Percy slowly reached forward to grab another.

"You sure you can handle another one?" Annabeth chimed, an eyebrow raised as she watched him bite into the cookie.

"I'm alright," he mumbled, the chocolate melting in his mouth. "I don't think I have ever had anything so good before."

Sally laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. "Thank you. I don't think I've ever been given such a compliment from a god before."

Percy hesitated in his chewing. It was different being referenced to as a god. It sure didn't feel like many of the people around him treated him as such.

"Perhaps we should talk about why I brought him here." His eyes switched to Annabeth as she continued. "Poseidon told you something when you were together, didn't he?"

At first Percy thought that she was speaking to him, and so he went to answer, but Sally beat him too it. "He did."

They fell silent, and Percy was left sitting in confusion. Sally had met with his father before? His father shouldn't have been able to. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades had all sworn off siring anymore demigods, after all. Although that hadn't stopped Zeus from breaking the oath.

"Poseidon and I met around eighteen years ago," Sally offered, clearly having sensed his confusion. She had a light smile on her face, although it was wavering. "I was immediately taken by him, and together we had a child."

Percy's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Sally ignored his question. "We even named him after you. That's why I was so startled to see you at first. I…I think that he would have looked exactly like you if he‒"

A long moment of silence passed between the three of them.

"‒It was your father who chose to name him after you," Sally continued, idly tapping the arm of the chair she sat in. "It just so happened that I ended up loving the name as well."

He had long forgotten about the blue cookies that sat in front of him. He had a brother—half-brother out there? Why hadn't he seen him? His brother should have arrived at Camp Half-Blood years ago. More importantly, why hadn't his father told him?"

Sally sniffled lightly, and soon the tears were dripped down her cheeks once more. She buried her face in her palms as she let out a few loud sobs. Annabeth was quick to move over and wrap her arm around the older woman's shoulder, and she shot Percy a sorry look. It was only then from their reactions, that Percy backtracked on their conversation to realize Sally had referred to him in the past tense. It wasn't difficult to guess what had probably happened.

"I'm sorry," he spoke, but it fell on deaf ears.

It took a little while, but with the help of Annabeth, Sally was able to calm down. He understood how difficult it must be to talk about this, and he found himself wondering more than ever why Annabeth had taken him here.

Sally dabbed at the corner of her eyes with a cloth while Annabeth handed her a fresh tissue. "S-sorry," she spoke, blowing her nose.

"It's alright, take your time."

Eventually, she had gathered herself enough to continue, although Annabeth remained by her side. "Back when we were together, Poseidon told me all about you."

Percy couldn't stop his lips from curving down into a frown. He hadn't spoken to his father since the time at the wilderness school, and even if he wanted to, his father had made it perfectly clear that he had no wish to communicate with him. If he had to guess, he hadn't told Sally anything good.

"I can tell what you're thinking, but let me tell you that it's not true."

That caught his attention. He opened his mouth in protest. "I-I…"

"It's alright," Sally hiccuped lightly, although it sounded a bit like a chuckle. "Poseidon also told me that you two had not been on the best of terms for a long time. I'm sure that your father has done something stupid."

He half expected the apartment to suddenly flood with water from the comment about his father. When nothing happened however, he relaxed.

"Don't worry," Sally smiled. "I've said worse to his face before. Your father‒he truly cares about you, he just struggles to show it. The regret that he feels overwhelms him at times. He always spoke about how sorry he was for what he had to do to you when you were younger."

Regret? Poseidon had portrayed many different emotions to him, but regret was never one of them. Uncaring? Sure. Maybe a little bit of disappointment? Definitely, but never regret. If it was there, it must have been the regret from him being born in the first place.

"He never told you what he needed to do to you when you were younger, did he?"

Percy shook his head. "No, I just know that it helped me."

He never learned about what his father had done, despite the many times he had queried about it. Poseidon would typically just brush him off or change their conversation to another topic. After a while, he had simply forgotten about it. There were no more voices, no more nightmares; he was finally able to live normally.

Then of course, he was assigned to be the Gatekeeper, and any chance that he had of getting an answer from his father had been tarnished. But that still left the question of what had happened. He  _had_ taken something from him, as his powers have been incredibly weak since that day, but he would take losing some power over remaining in the state that he had been in.

"Your father told me what he had to do to you," Sally spoke, interrupting his thoughts. "However, I don't think that it is my place to tell you what."

She pulled out a piece of paper, showing it to Annabeth. "Poseidon always used to say that the gods were up to something, and that I shouldn't trust him, but I just couldn't help myself. There was just something different about him."

She shook her head, turning the paper to Percy where he was able to make out the drawing of a trident. "This is what your father left me. At the time, I had no idea what it meant. I used to think that it was for my son—our son—but now I think that he gave it to me for a different reason."

When she held the paper out to him, he grabbed it from her hand. It was worn down, clearly aged from having been given to her a long time ago. He wondered how long she had been holding onto it, waiting for the answer to appear. The trident was outlined in a faint layer of gold, but it had all but faded away, leaving a grim yellow in its place. "What should I do with this?"

Sally shrugged. "I'm not too sure. I was never able to figure it out, but somehow, I know that you can figure that out for yourself."

He re-folded the paper and tucked it in his pocket. Sally stood up and gave Annabeth a light pat on the shoulder. "You were wise to mention him to me. Although, what else would I expect from a daughter of Athena."

A blush overtook Annabeth's face as she stepped out of Sally's path. "I just did what I thought was right. You had mentioned his name in the past before."

"Did I?" Sally placed a finger on her lips. "I don't seem to recall doing that."

The pair let out a light chuckle, which left Percy confused once more. Sally's words left him thinking, but he didn't want to mull over what his father had said to her in the past. He would want to hear it from the man himself before he started believing anything.

Annabeth tapped him lightly on the shoulder, motioning for him to stand up. She thanked Sally, who was watching the pair with the hint of a smile on her face. "By the way, any chance that you two are a couple?"

The blush grew tenfold on Annabeth's face, while Percy stood there confused. "A couple?"

Sally's laugh rang throughout the entire apartment at that, while Annabeth just shook her head in exasperation. "You really are dense, aren't you?"

Annabeth grabbed onto his arm, dragging him to the door. He barely had enough time to grab the last cookie from the tray, something that Sally took notice of. "Don't worry, I'll send a few batches of cookies to Chiron… Oh! One last thing," Sally called out, halting their progress through the door. "Perhaps you should try looking for clues at Montauk! Poseidon and I loved to meet there."

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the update! I was happy to be able to get it out a bit quicker this time!
> 
> Things will hopefully start to pick up from here as more of Percy's history is revealed! I also hoped that you enjoyed the role that Sally has in this story. She has such an important role in the series, and so I wanted to include her. This won't be the last time we see her!
> 
> Huge thanks to my Beta: VCRx. If you haven't looked at his stories yet, definitely do! You won't regret it.
> 
> Follow me on Twitter at PFWriting for updates!

**Author's Note:**

> Make sure to follow me on Twitter @PFWriting & @PraetorFable for updates on my current stories and future works. Next chapter to come soon!


End file.
